Twisted Reality
by Minaethiel
Summary: Kidnapped at 13, Serena Jameson, or Quiver, has been Slade's apprentice for four years. When she disobeys an order from Slade, she ends up in the company of the Teen Titans. Will she allow herself to be swept up as a Titan, or will her headstrong attitude get in the way?
1. Twisted Reality: Prologue

_**Hello everyone! Teen Titans does not belong to me, only my OC, Quiver, does! FYI, I'll always put this at the top of my stories ;) If I have any announcements or questions for my readers, I'll put them at the bottom.**_

_**Prologue**_

The sweet sounds of a goodnight lullaby floated throughout the pastel green room. Stars blinked outside of the bedroom window, illuminating the midnight sky. A full moon shone brightly, sending malevolent shadows across the well-kept yard. Inside the ivy-colored bedroom, a brown-haired girl slept peacefully. Covering walls and shelves were trophies and medals for marksmanship. Hanging on the wall behind her bed was the most prized possession of the girl; a black wood bow with eagle feathered arrows. Her gentle breaths caressed the air and her sleep was deep; she was unaware of the dark shadows waiting for their chance to strike. The arms of the assailants were long and gangly, almost zombie-like, and their masked faces gave no emotion away. From among the ranks of the unmoving shadows stepped a single man. Half of his face was cloaked in darkness, but the other half revealed a copper colored mask. He turned to his minions and uttered his orders in a monotonous tone.

"Everyone in the house is expendable except for the girl. Bring her to me unharmed."

At once, the long-armed assassins made for the home. There was no subtlety of picked locks or cut screens; they leapt through the glass and immediately divided to take care of the residents and obtain their objective. Screams emitted as the agents found the room of the mother, which were quickly silenced. The brown-haired girl had awoken at the sound of breaking glass. Huddled in her closet with her prized bow, the girl readied an arrow and trained her eye on the door. Footsteps sounded quickly in the hall, steps lacking the urgency of her mother's. The door of her room opened, and the steps of trained hunters entered her room. The girl stilled her breath as the steps drew closer to her closet. The second it opened; she loosed the arrow she had readied into the body before her. Shock consumed her as the body was not human, but robot instead. Sparks crackled from the hole in its chest and it toppled over onto the floor. This drew attention from the other three robots in the room, and they all rushed towards her. Before she could get another arrow ready, they had dragged her from the closest and bound her hands behind her back. A cloth was quick to follow over her mouth to keep her from screaming. The group passed by the room of her mother, and the girl began to kick and struggle in an effort to get away. In the room, her mother was only half visible, and unmoving. No matter what she did to escape the grasp of her captors they kept a firm hold. Eventually, the distraught girl grew tired of fighting and went limp, purposely forcing them to drag her. She would not help them in any way. In only a short minute the small group arrived out in the garden. The masked man stepped from the shadows and looked down at the defiant child.

The sound of crackling wood distracted the girl from her contemptuous stare. Glancing back at her house, she choked in terror as flames began creeping up the side of her beloved home. Renewed again were her struggles to break free, but yet again she was held still. Tears stung her sage-colored eyes as the flames licked at where her mother's room was, and she turned to look at the masked man, her gaze now full of unwavering hatred.

"Relax, dear child. In time you'll grow to see that life is better without those weaker than you to drag you down."

"My family _never_ dragged me down! You know nothing about me!"

"You'd be surprised of what I know. I know that you've been an archer since you were five. I know that your father works two jobs to help pay for your competitions and new equipment. Your mother stayed at home tending to you and your brother when you weren't at school. I know all this and more, Serena."

Serena felt her bloodshot green eyes go wide as he rattled off his knowledge about her family and herself.

"H-how do you know that?"

The man ignored her and continued.

"I also know that you have great talent, Serena. Or would you prefer me to call you Quiver? I hear that that's how you register in competitions. I can help you, my dear. I can help you to develop your talents to a whole new level and get you anything you want. All I ask is that you follow my orders without question, or else your father might not live for the funerals of your family."

She was quiet, her gaze flicking between the flame-engulfed house and the man in front of her. Sirens wailed in the distance, and she knew that they were racing towards the lost cause that had been her home. Serena had nowhere to go, and few options. She was too weak from shock to escape and didn't know what the man would do to her if she refused his offer. Tearing her gaze away from the collapsing house, she turned back to the nameless figure that was patiently awaiting an answer.

"I-I accept your offer. But please, what is your name?"

Upon hearing her affirmation of his offer, he had started to cloak himself back in the shadows. However, as she asked for his name, he turned around, and in the same monotonous voice delivered his response.

"I am Slade, but you can call me Master."

_**Hello everyone! Please R&R, keeping in mind that this is my first Teen Titans FF =) I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading this. I already have the first chapter ready so I'll be posting it along with my prologue.**_


	2. Chapter 1

_**Hello everyone! Teen Titans does not belong to me, only my OC, Quiver, does!**_

_**Chapter 1**_

"Titans! Go!"

At once four other teens besides the caped figure that had spoken leapt towards the cement-colored figure in front of them. A roar erupted from Cinderblock's mouth, and he too charged towards a confrontation. The first to reach him was a girl with hair the color of flames and eyes glowing a bright green. Power charged in her hands as she flew towards Cinderblock, and she unleashed a volley of explosive bolts towards him. In a quick follow-up, 3 blast discs hit Cinderblock as he raised his arms in self-defense. In retaliation, Cinderblock hurled a punch through the smoke, and connected with a startled Boy Wonder. Upon seeing her leader tumble through the air, the startled red-haired girl gasped and called out, "Robin!" before being knocked out of the air herself by Cinderblock's massive fist.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

The enchantress's words created a dark aura around a car, which she immediately flung at the gray villain. The force from the ensuing explosion forced him back several yards. Robin by this time was up, and checking on his worried green-eyed companion.

"Starfire! Are you alright?"

She rubbed her head and stood back up, resuming her offensive stance and charging starbolts in her hands.

"I am fine, Robin."

She gave him a small smile in return and flew to re-join the team. Beast Boy had transformed into a club-tailed dinosaur and swung heavily at Cinderblock, only to have a large cement hand grab his tail and swing him into a building. The glass storefront shattered at the impact, sending shards of glass sparkling across the sidewalk. The green teen turned back into his human form and smoothed his hand over his head, watching as Cyborg aimed his cannon at Cinderblock. The metal hero fired, sending the gray menace back another few feet.

"Booyah!" He exclaimed loudly, before going to engage in close combat. By now, the five super teens had almost cornered Cinderblock. The villain, however, was not about to let that stop him. In a last ditch effort, he charged towards the Titans, forcing them to avoid his bull rush. Robin glanced around as Cinderblock gathered his bearings. His gaze fell on a tall, metal lamppost that lit the streets up at night.

"Raven! Wrap him up!"

The cloaked magician quickly obeyed, using her dark powers to rip the post from its place in the sidewalk and forcibly wrapping it around Cinderblock. Robin managed to trip him using his bow-staff, and the rock-hard criminal fell to the street, roaring in anger. Swiftly, the Titans assembled to survey the street damage. Obviously the light pole, and there was the broken storefront. Plus the car Raven had tossed at Cinderblock. In all though, the team was surprised to see that the damage done was fairly miniscule, considering the size of their foe. That led them to one very important question: what was Cinderblock doing in the first place? There was no bank in sight. In fact on this particular street the only thing of interest was a local art gallery.

Regardless, Starfire, cheerful as always, turned to her teammates.

"Friends, we are victorious! Might I suggest we celebrate with some pizza?"

Beast Boy and Cyborg whooped with joy, while Raven just cocked an eyebrow with little interest. Robin gave Starfire a small smile and looked at his team. They had done well today.

"Alright Star, I think we deserve a little reward for ourselves. Let's go get some food."

Almost immediately BB and Cyborg started their routine argument of tofu versus meat.

"Rae, come on! Tell Cyborg how cruel it is to eat something that was once alive!"

"The only thing cruel, Beast Boy, is how you ask me to take your side every time you two get into this argument."

Cyborg burst out laughing while Beast Boy gave his gothic teammate a disgruntled look. Starfire and Robin couldn't help but smile at their antics. Together, the five of them walked towards their favorite pizza parlor, which was situated on a corner and gave a fantastic view of the downtown area.

***Scene break***

On the roof overlooking the same street the Titans had apprehended Cinderblock at, a single girl watched through binoculars at their departure. Police forces had arrived promptly and were handling the massive stony villain. Removing the binoculars from her face, the girl touched the radio device in her ear.

"Cinderblock drew the Titans out just like you said he would. It was… interesting to watch them fight. To be honest I was quite underwhelmed."

It didn't take long for a monotonous voice to crackle alive over the earpiece.

"Patience, Quiver. You may be a gifted fighter, but the Titans are still a considerable challenge for your skills. I want you to continue studying them. Learn their strengths, their weaknesses, and their routine. Find the cracks in the armor and report to me your findings."

Quiver smirked at his advice and observed the Titans again through her binoculars. Starfire seemed to be bubbly, and from the looks of it Robin was enjoying being with her. Perhaps it was a possible puppy-love relationship? Cyborg and Beast Boy were acting like typical siblings would. She knew what that looked like, having experienced it herself. Raven… To Quiver, Raven was an enigma. She didn't engage in social interactions like the others, but yet she had been with them since the Titans were formed in the first place. She would be a challenge to get information on. A frustrated growl left Quiver as her targets got further away. She needed more inside information, maybe from people who knew the Titans personally.

Of course, why not get the information herself? There were documents to steal, police to buy off… but Quiver had an even better plan in mind. She smiled to herself with glee, and tapped her earpiece once more.

"Master, I think I'm bringing home pizza for dinner tonight, and much more…"

"An excellent idea, my dear. Return to me soon; we have work to do."

Before he had even finished talking, Quiver grabbed her duffle bag and started shoveling her equipment in. When that was done, she jumped off the building into the alley and took off the combat suit Slade had had made especially for her. Her replacement outfit was a dark purple shirt and polka-dotted skinny jeans. She put over the shirt a very boho-looking, sleeveless sweater with purple, yellow, and red stripes. Quiver didn't bother with make-up; she never did. She found make-up to be a complete waste of time, besides the fact that it irritated her skin when she did in fact wear it.

Completing her makeover, she ran out of the alley, duffle bag in tow. The pizza place the Titans had gone to had been visible from her roof; it was maybe four blocks away. Quiver took off running down the street, expertly dodging pedestrians and cars alike while crossing streets. When she was a block away, she slowed down so as not to catch the eye of the Titans too soon if they happened to still be at the restaurant. She knew her mission was to gather data, but the smells wafting from the building were making her stomach growl as her appetite made its presence known. Why not have a bite to eat while observing?

Stepping through the front door of the parlor, she was met by the warm air of an oven and the delicious smells of pepperoni and sausage. In that same moment, she knew exactly how to start a conversation with the Titans; it all depended on how social they felt like being. Quiver stepped up the cashier and ordered three slices of three-meat pizza. The cashier made change, all the while giving Quiver a look that she interpreted as disbelief that she could eat all three pieces. Giving an amused smile, she thanked the cashier and took her pizza to the rooftop seating area.

Almost immediately, she began to hear the arguing of two people; one whining about wanting meat and the other wanting tofu instead. Quiver rolled her eyes at the silliness (after all, why not just get two pizzas or make one half and half?) and made her way to a table that was close enough to listen, but not to seem suspicious. By the time Quiver polished off her second piece of pizza, the disagreement was still going on. Now, she thought, was the time to make her move. Getting up from her table, she walked over to where the Titans were sitting. Robin had his head in his hand while his elbow propped it up. Starfire had her hands clasped in front of her watching while Cyborg and Beast Boy argued. Raven had taken out a book and was reading, but she looked up at Quiver's approach.

"Hi, I couldn't really help but overhear your argument. Don't you think it would work for everyone if you got a half and half pizza? That way there's something for everyone."

The two arguing teens looked over at the purple-clad girl standing in front of them. Her brown hair was free and a few strands were dancing in the playful breeze. The eyes that stared at them all were the color of pine trees, a nice sage green. Quiver had schooled a laid-back smile on her face and a look of amusement sparkling in her eyes. She knew how to play people to get what she wanted. To the Titans she seemed like your typical Jump City teenager. Before any of them could reply, Starfire piped up.

"Yes friends! Let us stop the arguing get the half and half like our new friend suggests! Might I also ask that we get mustard on one half?"

Everyone, including Quiver, gave her a strange look for requesting mustard on pizza. Quiver herself couldn't help but wonder how dinner was at their tower every night. _Must be Hell_, she decided. Beast Boy and Cyborg looked at each other and grumbled together.

"Man, two slices isn't going to be enough, I'm starving!"

"Ya dude, can't we just get a whole tofu pizza just this once?!"

Quiver dug into her pocket and fished out a twenty before laying it on the table.

"Well we can't have the city's heros starving, can we? Get another pizza; my treat!"

Cyborg and Beast Boy thanked her profusely and ran off before Robin could say anything to order, but when they were gone he beckoned to Quiver just as she was walking away.

"Hold on there, why don't you join us? You did just pay for a whole pizza after all."

Quiver turned as he was talking, and grew a large smile on her face as he finished.

"Wow, really?! I'd love to eat with you guys, at least if I'm not being a bother."

Starfire squealed with joy and caught Quiver in one of her massive hugs.

"Oh glorious! Tell me, friend, what is your name?"

Quiver froze for an instant at the question, pondering what to say. Luckily Starfire took her hesitant response as a lack of air and set her down, giving Quiver enough time to formulate an answer. She stuck out a hand to Starfire and replied with a smile.

"My name is Samantha Taylor. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Around the table hand shakes followed, except for Raven, who nodded in approval before asking her own question.

"What are you here in Jump for, Samantha? Do you live here or are you just visiting?"

Quiver turned to the blue-clad Titan. The unwavering glance Raven was giving her was slightly unnerving, almost as if the Titan was reading her thoughts and her very soul. Part of Quiver was terrified about the very thought, while another was fascinated.

"I'm just here for the weekend. There's a big marksman competition in town and I'm entered in it."

She smiled proudly and took a seat. It wasn't a complete lie; there WAS a marksman competition in town, but she only knew it because one of her idols was shooting in it. Quiver, however, was confident that her skills could have won the whole thing, had she entered. Unfortunately, that kind of attention was quite undesirable in her current living circumstances. Who knew what Slade would do to her if news reporters were constantly following her?

As usual, thinking of Slade reminded her of when he had first taken her under his wing. For whatever reason, she had stayed with him for four years, ever since she was thirteen. He had killed her mother and brother to get to her. To his credit, it had worked. Her emotions were so out of control that all she wanted was a safe place to cry in. That wasn't the only reason Quiver stayed with Slade. She was terrified that if she left or disobeyed, he would kill her father. For the year after the kidnapping, her tiny face was plastered on news stations as a missing child. Even her father had gotten on the TV to plead for her save return. It was in that moment that Quiver's heart had truly broken. Oh she had picked up some of the pieces, but the part her father had was still extremely fragile. There were times where she would give anything in the world to see her father just one more time.

"Hey Samantha, are you ok?"

Quiver shook her head to clear it, realizing she had been so focused on her own thoughts she hadn't heard Robin until now.

"Oh I'm fine Robin, just… daydreaming I guess."

Robin cut a look to Raven that was so swift, anyone not paying attention could miss it. They didn't believe Quiver, and she inwardly groaned. That was a dangerous lapse of control, and something that could cost her. But the Titans said nothing, only continuing to engage her in conversation until Cyborg and Beast Boy returned with pizza. Cyborg offered a slice to her.

"You paid for it, it's only fair that you get to share."

Quiver shook her head and smiled at him.

"Thank you Cyborg, but I've already had three pieces today. If I eat any more I'll feel like exploding!"

He shrugged and went back to eating. Quiver took the time to watch them as they ate. Cyborg and Beast Boy were eating their fair share, but to Quiver's surprise, gentle Starfire was eating like a lion! Robin followed Quiver's gaze to Starfire and smirked. Obviously he knew how shocked she was to see his teammate eating so much. Then is face turned more serious and he leaned towards Quiver more so she could hear him whisper.

"You know Samantha… I know you weren't daydreaming before. I could see that on your face. The look you had on your face wasn't bliss or happiness; it was fear and disbelief. I know that Raven sensed it too."

For a moment, Quiver stopped. She'd given away more than she realized while she was reminiscing. At the same time, she felt a touch of gratitude that someone else was worried about her. That maybe, just maybe someone actually cared about what she had gone through. In the next instant she shook those feelings away. The Titans were her enemies, nothing more and nothing less. She had a job to do, but she realized that her distractions had made gathering information directly from them was impossible. She had too much on her mind to concentrate. Though Robin's words were sincere, they had just stirred up all the memories and feelings that Quiver desperately wanted to forget. So she smiled sadly at the Titan before responding.

"I appreciate the concern, Robin, but it's ok; I'll deal with what's troubling me on my own. I can't lean on others for support. I need to be able to have the strength to solve my own problems."

He nodded understandingly. Robin also was one who believed in keeping his problems to himself. It felt like weakness to go to others, to seek out comfort. He had to be strong for his team.

"Ok Samantha… but if you do ever feel the need to talk, just seek us out. I know Starfire would be sad to see her friend depressed. She'd do anything to help you, and I'm sure the rest of the team would do what they could."

Quiver nodded gratefully and stood up to go.

"Thanks everyone for allowing me to eat with you. It was…fun. Good bye!"

The Titans said their goodbyes as well, with Starfire wrapping up the group.

"Samantha, we simply MUST go to the mall of shopping sometime!"

Quiver nodded shyly and started to walk toward where her home was, realizing as she entered the hideout that she really DID have a nice time talking with the Titans. But fear once again grabbed her as she thought about Slade; what would he do in response to her failure to gather adequate information?

_**Please R&R people :3 the more reviews, the more I'm encouraged to write. Plus, I love reading any helpful critiques on how I can improve my writing =)**_


	3. Chapter 2

_**Hello everyone! Teen Titans does not belong to me, only my OC, Quiver, does!**_

_**Chapter 2**_

"INEXCUSABLE!"

The voice rang out load and angry through the shadows of the workshop. Quiver sat alone, small and vulnerable, in a chair, while Slade paced back and forth in front of her. His footsteps echoed menacingly on the cold tile floor and he never once took his gaze off of Quiver. In her chair, the graceful teen sat with her head bowed, afraid to catch his eye and see what punishment await her. The pounding of her heart was loud and insistent, confirming her fear. She fought to keep her cool as the pacing footsteps stopped. She felt the breeze only a split second before the hand connected to her face. The force of the hit sent her spiraling onto the floor, face-first. _Some acrobat_, she thought bitterly. Quiver touched her face and felt the stickiness of blood seeping from her nose. All the while, Slade kept talking.

"I gave you an easy mission. Watch the Titans and report to me everything you find out. All you could tell me was your conversation, which revealed nothing valuable. You disappoint me Quiver. I've trained you better than that."

Sucking down her anger, fear, and shame, she stood up to face him, her nose bloodied from where she had hit the floor. Though she was afraid, Quiver met his gaze squarely.

"I tried Slade! I guess I just… got sucked into the conversation. I don't exactly have anyone to hang out with who's my age."

She didn't realize how insolent the last sentence was until she saw his eyes darken with fury. Quiver backed up and took on a defensive stance in case he tried to hit her again. While she wasn't good with interacting with teenagers, she WAS good at martial arts and marksmanship. Much as she hated to admit it, Slade had trained her well. Slade merely watched her before giving out an aggressive cry and lunging at her. Quiver parried blow after blow, blocking successfully most of the time, but never getting the chance to go on the offensive. At least until she dodged a punch that had Slade leaning dangerously forward. Quiver dropped and attempted to sweep his feet out from under his body. She managed to perform the sweep, but Slade just caught himself on his hands and sprung back onto his feet. Quiver, unprepared, caught a kick right into her arm, which sent her across the room. She jumped up and flat out rushed him. She threw a roundhouse kick at him, only to have that blocked. However she threw her right fist towards his face and connected, sending him back. There was no ceremony of analyzing your opponent in this battle; mentor and apprentice just took turns blocking and landing hits on their opponent.

Finally, Slade broke through Quiver's defense and socked her right in the gut, knocking the breath out of her. She fell to the floor gasping; one hand on her stomach, and the other keeping her from crumpling on the ground entirely. Slade just folded his hands behind his back and leaned down towards her.

"Very good, Quiver. You may actually stand a chance against the Titans after all. And as long as you continue being loyal to me, I can teach you even more."

Quiver was still drawing in deep breaths, her long dark hair hiding her face from him. Her green eyes were flaming embers and her mouth was twisted in anger. She needed to be better than him. She had to be. Who else would avenge her family if not her? But she couldn't let Slade see her intentions. So she stood up and met his eye, making sure to seem cowed by the beating she had received.

"Yes, Master."

She turned to make her way back to where she slept, but Slade called her back.

"And Quiver… it is time we start talking about you meeting the Teen Titans in battle."

She nodded and walked off, limping slightly from where Slade had thrown her up against a pillar in the hideout. In the bathroom she washed the blood off of her face and checked her body for bruises. All of them were fairly nondescript, except for a large one on her thigh. She ran her hand over it, applying slight pressure, and winced when she got to the middle of the bruise. Not for the first time she wondered if it was normal for a mentor to inflict such a large amount of punishment for failure. Her parents hadn't… but then they were her parents; they did nothing but encourage her to follow her dreams. Quiver held her head in her hands and took deep, steadying breaths. One part of her was still a grieving girl wanting nothing more than to curl up into a ball and cry. The other part was a well-equipped apprentice to a criminal. Most days, Quiver could keep her emotions under control, but that damned conversation with the Titans had reminded her of what she had lost, and what she could never have.

A shot of anger burst through her, and she slammed her fist into the mirror, cracking the center to the point where it shattered. The Titans had everything she longed to have, and she couldn't have it because she was trying to keep her father safe from Slade. Blood pooled from where her knuckles had been sliced open, but she ignored it. All she could think about was making the Titans feel the same fear and pain she felt every day. So, with black thoughts of violence twisting in her mind, she changed into her combat suit and went to meet Slade.

***Scene break*******

On the multiple computer screens Slade had set up, the fight with Cinderblock kept replaying for Quiver. The way Raven's powers hurled a two-ton car; Robin's agility and speed; Cyborg's sonic cannon; Starfire's explosive starbolts; Beast Boy's shape-changing finesse. Quiver drank it all in, analyzing every point of contact, taking note of each movement the Titans did. One thing in particular stuck out to her.

"Starfire seems quite… protective of Robin."

"And what does that mean to you?"

A devious smile crossed Quiver's face.

"It means that if I want to get to Starfire or Robin I need to do some serious damage to the other. Better yet, if we were to capture one of them, it would drive the other to get sloppy with worry."

Turning to Slade, she saw him nod with approval. She hadn't felt so satisfied before. Turning from the screen he looked around their makeshift home and asked another question to his protégé.

"What would be the best way to capture one of them? And who would be easier to capture?"

She thought for a moment, looking back at the screen. Her gaze fell on a certain red-haired heroine.

"I think Starfire would be easiest. If I could just subdue her hands, she should be easy to outmaneuver. Do you have any sleep gas arrows for me?"

Quiver's gaze turned to her special bow sitting on a long table. It was littered with arrows and parts of arrows around it, but the bow was pristine. There was nothing technologically special about it, but to Quiver it was both lucky, and a brutal reminder of what she had lost. It was the same bow she had been holding when her home was turned to ash and her family murdered. Even though it caused her pain to look at, let alone hold, she still loved it. Slade had tried getting her to upgrade it, but she had refused each time, preferring superior arrows to an upgraded bow. So far her arsenal included sleep gas arrows, paralysis gas (her least favorite; she had broken several while training, and you can imagine how angry Slade was to find her paralyzed for hours on end), and her personal favorite, smoke arrows. These allowed her to blind her foes and get into close quarters with them to subdue her foes quickly.

"I'm glad you asked. You have thirty of each, but I expect you to use them cautiously, particularly the paralysis ones. Now, we need to talk about how you're going to separate Starfire."

For once, Quiver felt the joy of being able to counter her mentor without fear of the consequences.

"Actually Master, I already have an idea for that…"

As Slade listened, his eyes grew interested, and ultimately evil with glee. All Quiver had to do was find the Titans…

***Scene break***

When the team arrived back at Titan's Tower after their pizza celebration, Cyborg and Beast immediately went to compete on their game station, while Raven went to her room. Robin went to the fridge to get a drink, while Starfire sat at the table with a large smile on her face and eyes shining excitedly as she recounted the meeting with Samantha.

"Oh she is a most wonderful person! Please Robin, may we have the sleepover with her one day?"

Robin took a drink of his soda as he pondered his conversation with Samantha just before she left. He couldn't forget that look in her eyes. What had it been? Obviously there had been sadness, but there was a hint of wariness in them too, as if she wanted to avoid saying anything else. He narrowed his eyes as he thought of her, and decided that talking to Raven might be a good idea, and doing further research on Samantha herself. Robin turned to Starfire, knowing his bubbly teammate was expecting an answer. But before he could open his mouth, the look Starfire was giving him stopped him.

"Robin, that look; it is the look you use when you intend on doing research. Is anything troubling you?"

Robin knew there was no getting out of a direct question, especially when Starfire knew him so well. However he didn't want to worry her, or even worse, cause her doubt in him if he mentioned whom he intended on researching. So to hopefully keep her satisfied, he made up a story.

"It's nothing Star; I'm only going to research the street where we found Cinderblock and see if there's anything we missed that may have interested him."

Not staying to hear her answer, Robin turned and headed out of the common room towards Raven's room. He walked quickly, intent on finding out whom Samantha was and if they could help her. He knocked twice on Raven's door when he got to it, and didn't have to wait long to see her door open a crack.

"Robin. Do you need something?"

"Actually Raven, I wanted to know what you felt from Samantha earlier today."

Raven narrowed her eyes in understanding; outside of the Titans, she didn't trust anyone, much less a random stranger that offered to pay for their food. Contrary to popular belief, the Titans weren't swarmed by adoring fans every time they left the tower. As for Samantha, Raven's voice took on a curious tone when she finally answered Robin.

"Well… it was strange. I couldn't really get a feel on her. One moment it was almost determination. The next it was guilt, but what I felt strongest of all was fear and sadness."

Robin took his time absorbing this information, suspicion growing when Raven mentioned the order of 'determination' and 'guilt.' What was she so determined about, and why did she feel guilt after that?

"Thank you, Raven. I'm going to find out who Samantha is; if anyone asks, tell them I'm researching data from our fight with Cinderblock today."

"You don't want to tell the team?"

"I don't want to worry them if it isn't necessary. I'm sure we're just jumping the gun over someone being brave enough to show us a little appreciation, but I just want to make sure."

Raven shrugged and closed her door while Robin walked down the hall to the research room. He locked the door behind him and went to the computer.

Meanwhile, in the common room, a call had come into Titan's Tower. Cyborg and Beast Boy groaned as there game got interrupted, but they accepted the call anyway. Starfire squealed with joy as she saw who it was.

"Friend Samantha! How joyous to hear from you so soon!"

Quiver smiled at Starfire's greeting. _Starfire. So easy to fool, I almost feel bad for not picking the bigger challenge_, she thought to herself. Instead she laughed politely.

"It's good to see you as well Starfire! Hey Beast Boy, hey Cyborg, what's up?"

The boys tried not to look forlorn at their lost game time, but answered enthusiastically nonetheless.

"Not much little lady, just chilling after kicking some major butt with Cinderblock."

"Ya dude, I was just beating Cyborg at Street Racer."

Quiver, ever the adaptive actress, blushed a little and responded guiltily.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted your fun, I just wanted to talk to Starfire. Hey Star, would you mind meeting me the park in an hour? I just really want someone to talk to, and I could take you shopping. We could have a kind of girl's night out."

Starfire jumped up excitedly and eagerly accepted.

"Great! I'll see you soon then, Starfire!"

Quiver hung up and turned to Slade, a victorious smirk on her face. He stared back and nodded.

"Excellent work, my apprentice. Now go and get ready; you wouldn't want to miss your date."

_**Hey guys! As usual, R&R! I apologize for the slight cliffhanger, but it felt right ending there ^_^No promises, but I'll TRY not to end with another cliffhanger next chapter xD I'm looking for some possible pairings for my OC. Drop me a PM or just include a suggestion with your review =)**_


	4. Chapter 3

_**Hello everyone! Teen Titans does not belong to me, only my OC, Quiver, does!**_

_**Chapter 3**_

In the research room of Titan's Tower, Robin was unaware that Samantha had invited his teammate to a night out. He busily typed Samantha's name in the computer how he thought it was spelled: "Samantha Tayler." No result popped up, so he started going through all the variations of 'Tayler' that he knew. Still, no result popped up. Robin narrowed his eyes in suspicion, beginning to get warier and warier with each negative result that popped up. He remembered Samantha (if that WAS her real name) mentioning a marksmanship competition. Typing the search into his computer, he finally found his first hit. It was taking place the next day, on a Sunday. All he needed to know was who had entered.

He grabbed a phone and called the club holding the competition. At first the manager was wary of giving out the personal information of the contestants, but when Robin explained his situation, he grumbled a bit and sent a copy of the list regardless before hanging up. Robin, scanning the list of entrants, felt his face go darker and darker. He tried to come up with a logical reason to excuse Samantha's train of lies, but his suspicion was too strong that something was amiss. He left the research room after an hour of searching and went straight to Raven's room to inform her of his findings. This time, Raven allowed Robin inside, lest one of their teammates overhear their conversation.

Robin had only seen into Raven's room one other time. It had been when Beast Boy and Cyborg had knocked her door down. It looked very much the same now. Shades were drawn to block out all light. A statue of stage drama masks sat on one side of the room. She also had a dresser and bookcase on one side of the room, while her bed occupied the other side. The whole room was in darker shades of colors, much like Raven's cloak. She had taken a seat on her bed, and motioned Robin to sit in a gothic style chair she had near the bookcase.

"What did you dig up, Robin?"

"That's the thing, Rae. Nothing. I couldn't find a single Samantha Tayler in Jump. The marksman competition she mentioned didn't have her registered; in fact it was a men's only event for tomorrow. I'm not sure why she lied, but I don't have a good feeling about her any more."

Raven sat and absorbed this for a few moments, thinking over what she had felt from Samantha and trying to intertwine this with Robin's information. Though she was uncertain about Samantha's intentions for lying, she did know one thing. The emotions she had felt flooding off of her had been genuine. Perhaps she was guilty for lying? But why be afraid of it? Turning to Robin, she offered up a suggestion.

"Perhaps we should bring her to the tower. If there were something she was afraid of telling us, the tower would be a safe environment to tell the truth."

She could see the gears turning in Robin's head thinking over every possible scenario for her idea. Finally, he nodded.

"That could work. If she really is who she says she is, I'm sure it shouldn't be a problem to get her over here. If she's lying to us she'll probably try to hide."

"You better tell the team about your decision then."

Robin nodded and made his way out of Raven's room, and his footsteps echoed down the lonely hallway on his way to the common room. The door slid open and revealed the sounds of swerving tires and revving engines. Beast Boy and Cyborg were in a heated race of Forza. Starfire was nowhere to be seen. Robin stepped in front of the two gaming teens, which quickly paused their game to give their leader an annoyed stare.

"Dude! I was just about to pass Cyborg with a sweet drifting move!"

"You wish Green Bean!"

"Have you two seen Star?"

The boys looked at each other and laughed at how irate Robin sounded. Even after beating up Cinderblock and having a quiet afternoon he wasn't pleased.

"Hey chill out dude; she went to meet Samantha at the park to talk and go shopping. Samantha called it a girl's night out."

They watched curiously as Robin's expression grew both worried and furious. Why hadn't Starfire told him she was leaving? Why hadn't Cyborg or Beast Boy? He immediately grabbed his communicator and tried to contact Starfire.

"Robin to Starfire, come in Starfire!"

"Oh, Robin! Would you like to do the hanging out with Samantha and I?"

"Why didn't you tell me you left the Tower, Star?"

"I did not find it necessary, Robin. I'm only going to be gone for a small amount of time."

Robin tried to keep his cool; Starfire was his best friend, and he certainly did not want to upset her. However with all the new information about Samantha (or more like the lack thereof), Robin was worried for his kind-hearted teammate. When he didn't reply, Starfire's emerald gaze grew soft.

"Robin, I-"

Just as she was about reassure him of her safety, gas started billowing around her face in Robin's communicator. He saw her eyes flutter and shut, her communicator falling to the ground. On the screen he saw the fading twilight sky, tainted with fumes. A figure stepped into frame that Robin did not recognize. He could tell by the curves that it was a woman, but that was all. She wore a black combat suit with green and brown marking that looked like jagged cuts. Her face was hidden with a black mask, equipped with what looked like air filtering gear. Over the face, a green marking that seemed to be shaped like an arrowhead was painted. She grabbed the communicator and held it up.

"Hello Titans. Catch me if you can."

Her voice was mocking and cruelly amused. The communicator again dropped to the ground, and the last thing Robin saw before the transmission cut out was a boot smashing the screen to pieces. Robin felt himself grow angrier with every second, and he slammed his fist onto the console. Without turning around, he put out his first statement.

"Cyborg, tell me you tracked her communicator before it died."

"Already done; it was coming from the park."

His voice was filled with misgiving as well; that was where Star was supposed to meet Samantha.

"Titans, move!"

_***Scene break***_

Quiver sat perched in a tree with her new combat suit. It had an air filter, night vision, and even monitored vitals. Slade had gone a step further for her by putting in an ammo count to help her keep track of her arrows. She sat in the tree easily; balancing in the crook where two branches met. She had a sleep gas arrow at the ready, and the feel of the feathers at the end of the arrow put her in a state of concentration. Slowly, her head turned back and forth, scanning the near-deserted park for her target. Starfire had been too easy to fool. Hadn't her mother ever taught her never to trust a stranger? Oh, but Quiver supposed she wasn't a stranger to Starfire, but a "friend."

Smirking in satisfaction, she turned to face the entrance of the park, and picked up the familiar figure of Starfire. The fire-haired teen glided across the park, her head turning as she scanned for Samantha. _Too bad you won't find her, Starfire._ Just as Quiver was about to loose her sleep gas arrow, she heard a strange jingle, and watched as Starfire took out a round little gadget. _Damn! _Quiver thought to herself. _I'll have to get rid of that before I take her back to Slade. _Her fingers twitched impatiently, urging her to let go of the arrow, but Quiver listened to the curiosity that was nagging her and stayed her hand. She couldn't hear who Starfire was talking to, but was able to hear her clearly.

"Oh, Robin! Would you like to do the hanging out with Samantha and I?"

Quiver grimaced. What could Robin possibly want? Couldn't he wait until later to talk to his little girlfriend?

"I did not find it necessary, Robin. I'm only going to be gone for a small amount of time."

Oh how clueless she was. Starfire thought she was safe, but Robin obviously was worried about her. Love. How quaint. But the gears continued to turn in Quiver's head, and she grew worried. _What if Robin knows I was lying?_ Another failure would be unacceptable to Master. She needed to end this now. Once again Quiver readied her arrow, but this time she let it loose. The glass head smashed against the ground and the sleep gas began billowing out.

"Robin, I-"

At this point the gas started to affect Starfire. Quiver watched as her body crumpled to the ground. Jumping down from the tree, she began walking over to Starfire, when the communicator caught her eye. Smiling deviously under her new mask, she picked it up.

"Hello Titans. Catch me if you can."

Quiver dropped the communicator again and slammed her boot down on it, crushing it. Turning to Starfire, he picked the girl up bridal style and headed towards the hideout. She wasn't worried about Starfire waking up too soon; the gas lasted for over five hours. How did she know this? Master had decided that in order to lay low, kidnapping someone to test the gas on was a bad idea, so he had just used her instead. Just another reason to hate Slade among the many she already had.

_***Scene break***_

It took the Titans only minutes to get where Starfire's communicator had been smashed. Shards of broken plastic and ruined electronics littered the ground. Strangely enough, Robin observed broken glass as well. Laying near the shards, perfectly undisturbed, was the mid section of an arrow, including the feathering on the back. Most of the glass was located around where the tip of the arrow would be, and it didn't take Robin long to figure out where the gas had come from.

"Cyborg, can your scanners pick up anything?"

The robotic teen brought up his scanners and did a sweep of the area, paying particular attention to where the arrow was.

"Well it was definitely a gas that knocked Starfire out; some of the components in it are similar to those used in sleep aids."

_Sleep gas then? Whoever took down Starfire isn't playing around, or taking any unnecessary chances in combat_, Robin thought to himself. The Titans searched the park some more hoping to find more clues, but after an hour of thorough searching, their investigation came up empty. Robin balled up a fist and slammed it into a tree with frustration. Fierce pain throbbed in his knuckles, but he didn't care. All he cared about was finding Star.

"Spread out. I want the whole city searched. Keep in touch."

At Robin's command, the team spread out. Raven and Beast Boy took to the sky, while Robin and Cyborg took the ground. Cyborg jumped in the T-car, while Robin sped away on his R-cycle. North, south, east, and west, the Titans searched for hours, but by the time the sun was going down there was still so sign of their missing teammate. Another hour went by before Robin received a call on his communicator. Raven's face was partially hidden by her cloak, but there was no mistaking her ensemble.

"Robin, this search is pointless. We've scanned the whole city and there's no sign of Starfire. If we're going to find her, the team needs rest and leads."

He hated admitting that his team was right, but worry for Starfire was pumping through his body with each passing hour that she was missing.

"Titans, grab some sleep. Tomorrow we're going to find Samantha and bring her in for questioning."

Robin didn't bother telling the team that he wasn't going back to the tower. He didn't bother telling them how he expected to find Samantha either. Samantha was the only link between the missing Titan and her disappearance, and he intended to track her down mercilessly. Hanging up his communicator, Robin revved the engine of his bike and continued speeding through the streets.

_***Scene break***_

Back in the hideout, Quiver had bound Starfire as best as she could with chains. Slade appeared from the shadows and strapped a collar around her neck, and, with a press of a button on his wrist, it began to glow an eerie blue. Quiver looked at the curious device around Starfire's neck and couldn't help but question him.

"What's the collar for, Master?"

"My dear girl, do you think mere chains would hold a Tamaranean? The collar is for neutralizing her powers and her strength."

Turning her gaze to look at the device more closely, Quiver saw the eyes of the Tamaranean in question flutter open. Surprise flitted through her; it had only been two hours since she had been exposed to the gas. With an effect of five hours, she expected Starfire to be down for longer. Quiver made a special note to have Slade draw some of her blood to see if the gas could be improved to be more effective against her Tamaranean heritage. She turned to him to ask how she should proceed, but her Master had disappeared into the shadows. Inwardly, Quiver sighed. It was too late to ask now, especially since Starfire's eyes were now fixed on her, and boy did she look angry. Thankfully, Quiver still had her special costume on instead of her mask-less apprentice suit. Starfire had no clue who Quiver really was.

Starfire began struggling, her eyes growing angrier as she realized that her powers and strength were now useless to her. Turning to Quiver again, she opened her mouth to speak.

"Who are you and what do you want?!"

Quiver didn't know how to answer. Luckily for her, she didn't have to.

"Now Starfire, is that any way to treat one of your gracious hosts? I expected more from a Titan."

It was fascinating to Quiver to watch the emotions play over Starfire's face. First was shock; Slade had not appeared in the city for a long time and the Titans had assumed he had moved on to another city. The second was fear. Quiver could understand why. Slade had made it a point to go into every grizzly detail about his past plan involving the Titans. All the deeds he had done sounded horrifying, made even worse when he added that he didn't know which one he was going to use on her father yet. But Starfire didn't stay afraid. Instead, she bravely rose to her feet as much as she could and ran at him.

Shock coursed through Quiver, as well as fear for the alien princess. Quiver knew how brutal Slade could be, but he always found toying with her amusing. How would he react to one of his enemies trying to take him on? As it turned out, Quiver had little to fear. All he did was dodge Starfire's charge and chuckled slightly. Hearing him amused made chills go up her spine. As for Starfire she did not let up. She kept rushing him until her weakened strength gave up, and she fell to the floor, breathing hard. Slade walked right up to her and bent down on a knee to her level.

"I recommend that you don't give me trouble, my dear. If you do, I'll just have my apprentice kill you and be done with it. What better way to toy with Robin than to kill his beloved Starfire?"

Terror coursed through Quiver now, and before she knew what was happening, she opened her mouth.

"NO!"

Slade tensed and turned around, looking at her dangerously.

"What did you just say to me?"

It was a good thing Quiver still had the mask on, because her eyes grew as big as dinner plates as she realized what she had done. All she wanted was to crawl back into the shadows where she felt safe, but Slade was still glaring at her through a slit of his eye. Thoughts raced through her head as she pondered what to say. But before she was going to mumble a simple 'nothing' she thought of her father. If he could see her now, he would be ashamed of how far his daughter had fallen. Reduced to killing people to save him. She knew that he would give up his life if his daughter were free; he had even said that on the news once. The thought gave her a bit of courage, and she spoke again.

"I said no. I refuse to kill anyone. Tell me to steal, and I'll do it. Tell me to spy, and I'll do that to, but I refuse to take the life of another."

Before she could react, Slade swung a gloved fist into the side of her head, and down she went. Not caring about the presence of Starfire, Quiver ripped off her mask and tossed it down. She heard a gasp from Starfire, but ignored it and stared at Slade, blood running from the corner of her mouth. She wiped it off, and took a step forward, now shaking with anger.

"I've given you everything, apprentice. Don't think you can so easily take that and go. I own you!"

Quiver took another step forward and got into an offensive stance.

"No Slade, you don't."

_**Oh my, Quiver taking on Slade? I actually didn't intend her to rebel until later, but I just got so into the story that I couldn't resist! Predictions anyone? Please R&R =) I love reading critiques on my writing!**_


	5. Chapter 4

_**Hello everyone! Teen Titans does not belong to me, only my OC, Quiver, does!**_

_**Chapter 4**_

Starfire winced as Slade got down to her level. She hated being near him. She hated how seeing him brought back old and painful memories. But most of all, she hated being so vulnerable in his presence.

"I recommend that you don't give me trouble, my dear. If you do, I'll just have my apprentice kill you and be done with it. What better way to toy with Robin than to kill his beloved Starfire?"

Robin's name was like taking a dagger to her heart. She wouldn't admit it out of fear of rejection, but she loved Robin dearly. How would he react if she died? He was always looking out for her. He was the first to reach her side if she happened to take a hit, and he was also the first person she went to if she was feeling sad or just had a question. Her emerald green eyes gazed at the floor in front of her incase any tears fell, but a sharp cry startled her into looking up.

"NO!"

Starfire turned to look at Slade's newest apprentice. The voice belonged to a female, she could tell that much. The mask made the voice slightly muffled though so she couldn't tell if it was familiar. At first, Starfire didn't know what the apprentice was going on about, but then Slade stood up and turned to the girl.

"What did you just say to me?"

Slade's monotonous voice, normally so calm, held a threatening undertone that made Starfire flinch slightly.

A tense silence fell over the room. If a pin dropped, the sound would probably echo throughout the dark warehouse. And then, the girl spoke again, her voice stronger.

"I said no. I refuse to kill anyone. Tell me to steal, and I'll do it. Tell me to spy, and I'll do that to, but I refuse to take the life of another."

Starfire felt her eyes go wide. Even though the girl was openly agreeing to steal and spy for Slade, she was glad that the apprentice wanted to do no harm to her. She turned her attention back to Slade to hear his rebuttal, but instead of it being verbal, it was physical. Starfire felt her eyes go wide again as Slade landed a dizzying punch on his apprentice, who flew across the floor and onto the ground. She hoped that the girl wasn't too badly hurt, and was relieved when she stirred. The girl grabbed the mask over her head and ripped it off, causing Starfire to gasp. Slade's apprentice was Samantha! Shock and a feeling of betrayal flew over Starfire. She had truly thought that Samantha was a friend, but she had betrayed her and the rest of her friends. As much as she wanted to hate Samantha though, she just couldn't, especially not when she was standing up to her brutal and evil mentor.

"I've given you everything, apprentice. Don't think you can so easily take that and go. I own you!"

How could Slade own her? When Robin had been his apprentice, he had never mentioned seeing Samantha. Of course, maybe Slade had sent Samantha off on a mission, or maybe he thought she was dead. In any case, Slade had also thought he owned Robin because he held the Titans' lives in his hands. Maybe Slade was holding someone Samantha liked or loved hostage. Watching Samantha take a step forward, she could see the girl shaking with, what? Fear? Anger? Starfire couldn't tell.

"No Slade, you don't."

And with that she took up a stance that invited Slade to come and get her. He wasted no time in doing so, and Starfire looked on hopelessly with wide eyes as she watched the two confront each other.

Quiver couldn't tell what was running through Starfire's head, but she had time to see the wide eyes of the heroine before her mentor rushed her with a battle cry. Quiver blocked and parried as best as she could, but her experience paled in comparison to Slade. Each time Quiver took a jab at him or tried to trip him, he expertly dodged and delivered a counter with twice as much speed and force. Finally, Quiver flipped away from him and landed on steel beam above his head. Whipping out her bow, she grabbed a smoke arrow and shot it downwards. Smoke immediately started filling up a twenty-five foot circumference, and Quiver jumped down into it. Her plan was to free Starfire, but Slade kept the button on his utility belt. She needed to be stealthy about it. Stealth, however, did not seem to be an option when a dark fist connected to her chest. Quiver again felt her breath knocked out of her, and she felt her knee buckle as she gasped for air. Slade's boots appeared in front of her and she felt a strong hand grip her throat and lift her up. Choking, she finds herself brought up to eye level with Slade.

"You see what happens to those who oppose me. Robin has lost one of his Titans, and you, Quiver, are going to lose your father. How does it feel to know that you're responsible for the death of your loved one?"

In response, Quiver started laughing. Not because she didn't care, but because, in her right hand, was the button. Holding it up to Slade, she pressed it and heard the sweet sound of snapping metal.

"I wouldn't know, Slade. How does it feel to finally lose?"

Slade turned and saw green starbolts flying towards him as Starfire flew full speed towards Quiver and him. In response, Slade turned to the left and placed Quiver in front of him like a meat shield. One starbolt impacted, sending mentor and apprentice flying back, but Slade kept a firm hold on Quiver and managed to stay balanced. Quiver groaned in pain and looked up to see Starfire had landed, her green eyes bright with fury and more starbolts charged in her hands. Slade laughed.

"Hesitant to hurt your would-be savior, Starfire? Let me escape, and I'll let her go."

Green eyes glowing, Starfire looked from mentor to apprentice, Quiver looked scared and was in pain from her starbolt, while Slade wasn't giving anything away as usual. Starfire lowered her hands.

"Fine, but we will defeat you, Slade."

"Don't make a promise you can't keep, dear girl."

With that, Slade stuck the dagger he had hidden into Quiver's back, savoring the scream his former apprentice let out, before dropping her and rushing out of the warehouse into the night, knife in hand. All Quiver could feel was pain. It flooded every nerve of her body until she felt like she would faint or die. She didn't even notice that Slade had dropped her until the ground raced up to meet her. Her head impacted on the smooth tile and stars danced in her vision. She saw Starfire start to run over to her.

"Samantha!"

The last thing she saw was the frantic green gaze of the Titan before she closed her eyes as darkness overtook her. Starfire reached Quiver shortly after and turned her over so she was face up. Blood had already formed a small pool beneath her, and her head had a bloody gash from where she had hit the tile. Starfire picked her up and flew out of the warehouse as quickly as possible towards the closest place she could see: Titan's Tower.

_***Scene break***_

Quiver began stirring to a soft and constant beeping noise above her head. Bright lights shined above her head and whimpered, taking her pillow and putting it above her head as she tried to get back to sleep. Before she could even fall asleep, the memories of the warehouse came flooding back. Confronting Slade, freeing Starfire, and ultimately feeling a constant flood of pain centering on her back. She shot up, wincing as a fresh wave of pain flooded from her back, and observed her surroundings. What she saw were bare white walls, state of the art medical equipment, and soft white sheets. Everything was sterile and efficient. Turning around she could see out of the window and into jump. The window was overlooking the ocean. Puzzled, she wondered where she was. The last thing she could remember was Starfire coming towards her, but after that she had blacked out.

Unhooking an IV that was in her arm, Quiver gingerly set her feet down and started for the door, only to nearly collapse. She felt so weak; perhaps walking wasn't such a great idea. Instead she climbed back into the little bed she had woken up in and called hesitantly at the door.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

She expected a nurse to come walking in to chastise her about ridding herself of the IV. What she did not expect was for the door to open and to have Starfire walk in. Starfire squealed with barely suppressed joy at seeing Quiver awake and gave her a soft hug, being careful to avoid her back.

"Friend Samantha! It is glorious to see you awake at last!"

_Friend?_ Quiver thought to herself, _how could she call me a friend? I trapped her and almost got her killed!_ But she smiled politely instead of openly expressing her puzzlement.

"Starfire, it's nice to see you too. Where am I? How long have I been here?"

"I brought you to Titan's Tower, Samantha. It was the closest place to get help. Raven healed your wound so it wasn't life threatening anymore, but the rest you'll have to heal on your own. She used up a lot of energy. That was four days ago."

_Four days?! But in that time, Slade might've had time to…_ She couldn't bear to finish the thought. Slade's threat of killing her father was still fresh in her mind and she felt like crying, but she wouldn't do that in front of Starfire. Something must have shown on her face though, because Starfire's face grew concerned.

"Is something wrong, Samantha?"

The genuine concern in her voice broke something inside of Quiver. Tears slipped slowly out of her eyes and gathered on her quivering chin. Starfire saw this and pulled her into another hug, but Quiver slipped out of it before speaking.

"Starfire… I-I don't deserve your kindness. I took you to Slade, and he could've killed you. Why don't you take me to jail; it's where I belong."

At this a fresh wave of tears spilled down and she started sobbing. The volume brought Robin to the infirmary to check out what was going on. What he saw was a concerned Starfire and a sobbing Samantha. Robin quirked an eyebrow before coming to stand beside Starfire. He needed to question Samantha about her involvement with Slade, but he didn't know where to begin, particularly since she was breaking down. He took a deep breath and decided to just start in, but gently.

"Samantha… We need to talk to you about Slade."

Quiver looked up at Robin, her normally clear evergreen eyes brightened by tears.

"Please… don't call me Samantha. My name is actually Quiver. And- oh my god, Slade!"

She bolted upright and out of the bed, frantically looking around.

"We- you've got to stop him! He said he's going to kill my father!"

More tears spilled down and Starfire gently led her back to the bed and sat her down.

"Please Saman-I mean Quiver, calm down and tell us what happened."

Quiver took a shuddering breath and closed her eyes in pain before asking a whispered question.

"How much do you want to know? From the beginning, or from the incident a few days ago?"

She prayed that she wouldn't have to go back and re-live even more pain, but she knew what the answer would be. Robin seemed to want to know everything about her involvement, and that meant how she got to him in the first place. He affirmed as much.

"We need to know everything."

Robin heard another sigh come from her, one so full of pain that he almost took back what he said, but he knew he needed all of the information he could get his hands on. Starfire rubbed Quiver's back in support to show she wasn't alone, and she received a grateful look in return before Quiver started talking.

"It began four years ago… My name is not actually Quiver, that's just my show name; my name is actually Serena Jameson. When I was thirteen years old, Slade and his robots raided my house. They took me and killed my younger brother and mother before setting my house on fire."

Starfire's eyes grew wide with horror, and Robin frowned deeply. He always knew Slade was evil, but he had never heard of him killing anyone.

"He gave me a deal outside that night. He offered me an apprenticeship, and in return he wouldn't kill my father. I accepted. Ever since then I've done whatever he asked of me. I stole, I spied, and I lied to get whatever he wanted. I-I'm the one who took Starfire. He ordered me to fight you all, but because of Starfire's trust in me I decided to split you all up and take you on one by one. She was the first one I was supposed to capture."

Quiver looked at Starfire and Robin shamefully, her eyes miserable, with a faraway look in them as well as she recalled all the years Slade had kept her on his leash. Robin understood what she was going through; he had been Slade's apprentice once, and still regretted hurting the team. He would never forgive himself for it, even if the rest of the team had. Starfire gave her a small hug again and spoke a few words of comfort.

"It is ok, Quiver, we're not mad at you. We just want to know the truth about why you did what you did."

The girl in question seemed comforted by this, and began again.

"Thank you, Starfire, but I don't deserve your kindness, like I said before. I've done bad things. I helped that-that monster. I wouldn't blame you all if you threw me in jail after this."

She looked dejectedly at the floor, not meeting the eyes of Robin or Starfire. Robin squatted down to eye level with her and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll do what we can for you, but please, continue with your story."

She sighed and closed her eyes, biting her lip before speaking again.

"Slade threatened Starfire that if she didn't behave he would have me kill her, but I refused. I would never kill another soul. I know how much it hurts to lose someone you love, to lose your family, and I wouldn't wish that pain on even my greatest enemy. Even Slade. So I told him that no, I wouldn't kill her. We started to fight, and I managed to free Starfire. But he beat me. He held my arms behind my back and told Starfire to let him go and he'd release me. She agreed, but before he released me he stabbed me in the back. I think you know the rest."

Finishing her story, Quiver let out a shaky sigh and tried to calm herself down. Robin could tell that she was ashamed and embarrassed for crying, and regretful for ever willingly helping Slade. She was, in a word, broken. He nodded and brought her chin up so he could look her in the eyes.

"Thank you, Quiver. I promise you, the Teen Titans will help save your dad."

She nodded, and he got up to leave, but before he could, Quiver called him back.

"Please Robin, I-I want to help. I'd be a coward if I didn't face Slade again. This is my dad, and I have a responsibility to protect him no matter what the cost. Where is all of my gear?"

Robin shook his head sharply.

"You're in no condition to fight Slade. He nearly killed you, and we can handle him."

Quiver stood up defiantly and walked over to stand in front of him, even though the pain and stiffness were bothering her. For the first time since talking to her, Robin heard her voice take on a determination and hardness that was absent before.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way, Robin. Either you give me my gear willingly, or I can sneak around this tower until I find it. I trained with Slade for four years; I know how to keep myself hidden if I don't want to be seen."

Looking into her eyes now, he could tell that she meant it. Hurting or not, she was going to help the Titans one way or another. Robin sighed and put his hand on his head in frustration.

"Fine, you can help. I'll get your uniform and your weapons. I'll also get you a Titan's communicator. You can stay in the tower while we track down Slade."

Quiver nodded and sat on the bed. Starfire also sat on the bed, making casual conversation. He was glad for Star; she was so compassionate and knew how to make others feel better. Leaving the girls for a little privacy, he stepped out into the hallway and was almost immediately run over by Cyborg.

"Cy? What's going on, why are you in such a hurry?

"Robin, it's Slade. He wants to speak to you and Samantha alone."

_**I apologize that there isn't much BB/Rae/Cy, but there hasn't been many situations where it seemed appropriate to write them in. As usual, please R&R!**_


	6. Chapter 5

_**Hello everyone! Teen Titans does not belong to me, only my OC, Quiver, does!**_

_**Chapter 5**_

Slade. Robin didn't know exactly why he wanted to talk to his two former apprentices, but whatever it was it didn't matter. He was going to make sure that Slade was brought to justice no matter what the cost. Quiver was in the infirmary getting her gear ready. Robin had asked Raven to apply a little additional healing to her stab wound. If they were going to fight Slade, they needed Quiver as fit as possible if she was going to commit to helping. Oddly enough, Raven had communicated earlier that her wound was fully healed already and that her powers weren't needed. Regardless, the door to the medical room opened, and Quiver strode out. She looked as if she was ready for battle. Her suit was still black with brown and darker green stripes, and her mask still had its signature arrowhead, but the hole in the back was gone. A quick patch job had been done.

Quiver's, well, quiver had all of the arrows she still had left, minus one of each type. The Titans wanted to see how Slade had created her equipment, and Quiver happily supplied some samples. She came up next to Robin, and together the two started for the elevator. Robin could hear Quiver breathing softly as if trying to calm herself down, and he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Relax, I know what you're going through. When we see him, don't give him the satisfaction of seeing you react. Just follow my lead."

He couldn't see her face through the mask, but he did feel her tense up.

"He threatened to kill my dad, Robin. If I could kill him through the phone screen, I would do it. I'm not scared, just angry as hell."

Robin could sympathize with that, but he knew she was lying about being scared. He could feel the slight shake of her shoulders, and he admired the way she tried to hide it. It was exactly what Robin himself would try to do; he didn't want anyone to worry about him. He wondered what it would be like to have Quiver as both a friend and an enemy. She had been trained by Slade for far longer than he had; she was obviously dangerous. She and Robin would be equally matched in a martial arts fight, but he was confident that he'd beat her eventually. As a friend, he couldn't help but think how well coordinated their movements would be. His friends were good, but most of them relied on their powers instead of hand-to-hand combat. He knew he should discuss what he was thinking with his team, but instead he tapped Quiver on the shoulder.

"Listen Quiver, once we get through this-"

He didn't have time to finish before the common room door opened and the face of Slade stared them both down as they walked in the room. As usual, his face gave nothing away. Robin and Quiver walked to the back of the couch and stood there. Quiver crossed her arms and looked up at him, while Robin grabbed the back of the couch. Slade switched his gaze between the two of them, and began speaking when he realized that neither the Titan nor the girl was going to speak.

"Well now. I expected better manners from a Titan, Robin. And you as well, Quiver. I taught you better."

Quiver's fists clenched and behind her mask her eyes narrowed. Slade always knew just what to say to piss her off. Robin's mouth had twisted in a slight scowl.

"Cut the small talk, Slade. What do you want with us?"

"Ah Robin, always straight to the point. I can't just call to say hello?"

By this point, Quiver could tell that Robin was getting angry too. Slade and Robin had an extremely volatile history; Slade had taught Quiver all about it. Of course, she hadn't been around for Robin's time as an apprentice. Slade thought it would be a bad idea to reveal to Robin his first protégé in case he rebelled. So instead, he had sent Quiver on a mission to acquire the locations of valuable assets to his cause. By the time she had returned, Robin was gone. However, he had kept her informed of how his plan with the probes was going. At the time, Quiver had found Robin brave. He had stood against Slade and, dare she say it, won. But Quiver was too weak to rebel. At least, that's what she thought. Quiver grew angrier at the thought of being a coward, and she jumped over the couch and walked right up to Slade.

Slade looked down at her and chuckled.

"Well well, it looks like you heal faster than I thought you would. Of course I'm sure Raven had something to do with that, didn't she?"

"Cut the shit Slade, tell me where you are and I'll gladly see if Raven's so willing to help you instead."

The only reason that was stopping Quiver from slamming the screen to tiny pieces was the fact that breaking the TV wouldn't harm Slade in the least. The man in question chuckled at the aggressiveness of his former apprentice.

"Quiver, you've spent too much time with the Titans; I feel like you don't respect me anymore. Maybe this will help you to change your mind."

The masked villain stepped aside to reveal a man in what looked to be his thirties. His hair was black, but he lifted his head and stared at the screen with sage green eyes, eyes that stared at Quiver in shock, and so much more in a fleeting second. Quiver herself was speechless, until a single tear leaked out and she choked a single word.

"Daddy."

Robin looked at her, and even with the mask on, that single word held all the fear and anguish a daughter would have for a father who was in danger. He walked around the couch and put a calming hand on her shoulder, and could feel the battle she was waging to keep control of her emotions. When she spoke again, Robin barely recognized her voice.

"I swear Slade, if you dare to hurt him, I will hunt you down and rip you apart!"

There was almost a maniacal frenzy in her voice, which, given the circumstances, was understandable to Robin. He did not, however, intend to allow Quiver to carry out her threat. Motioning for her to be quiet to let him speak, he looked at Slade before speaking.

"Ok Slade, what do you want? You brought Quiver and I up here, but you haven't given us a reason yet, so start talking."

"Patience Robin. All I want is for you and Quiver to meet me on the top of Wayne Industries. Just you two. Be here in an hour, or her father won't be in my company for much longer."

With that, Slade hung up. Quiver ripped her mask off and collapsed on the couch, her head in her hands. Robin sat beside her and waited for her to speak.

"I meant what I said, Robin. If he hurts my dad… I WILL kill him. Justice be damned, what are they going to give him if we happen to catch him? Jail for a few years? Death penalty? Jail is too good for him."

"Look Quiver, I know you're angry. I understand; he's threatened my friends, but we still can't let you kill him. That would make us just like him."

She seemed to ponder this for a few moments, her hands clasping and unclasping nervously. Finally, she sighed and looked up at Robin.

"I guess you're right. We should get ready to go. Are you going to inform the other Titans?"

"Of course. I'm going to have them on standby close by in case we get into trouble. Knowing Slade though, he'll probably expect that."

"Slade knows everything. I'm pretty sure he has surveillance in your tower, but he never told me if he did or not. If Slade is one thing, it's paranoid. He doesn't give away too much in case his apprentices defect. Should I go on ahead and meet you there?"

"We're on an island, remember? No, we'll go together on the R-cycle."

Quiver nodded and slipped her mask back on. She turned to leave, but just before she reached the door, she turned around.

"Robin, what were you saying before in the elevator?"

"Just something for myself and the team to talk about. You'll find out soon enough."

Quiver was good at figuring out puzzles, and this cryptic one that Robin had given her was no different. She mumbled a farewell and took the lift up to the floor where the weight room was supposed to be. Starfire had told her stories of how that was where Robin went when he needed to "let out the aggression" on something. Quiver felt that she was no exception. The elevator stopped and she stepped out, hoping she had gone to the right floor. In front of her was a door marked 'Research Room.' The left seemed to lead to nowhere, but on the far right there was a brightly lit room. She walked down the right corridor, passing rooms with the Titans' names on them. She walked by Beast Boy, Starfire, and Cyborg, but stopped when she got to Raven's room.

While she was in the infirmary, Starfire had been quite talkative. She had told Quiver several funny stories about the antics of all of her friends, but few were about Raven. In fact the only time Quiver had seen Raven was when she had woken Quiver up for permission to apply more healing to her wound. The empath was not talkative, but was a calm opposite to Starfire's outgoingness. Before Quiver had the time to say thank you though, Raven had left the room. Perhaps now was her chance?

Quiver took her mask off and slipped it into a pouch on her belt before she lifted her hand and knocked a couple of times. It took only seconds for the door to open a crack, and the veiled head of Raven peered out.

"Hi Raven… I-I'm sorry to bother you."

Her face didn't change; she just spoke in a monotonous tone as she replied.

"It's fine, Quiver. I was honestly expecting Beast Boy. He's always knocking on my door for one reason or another. Is your wound bothering you?"

Once again, Quiver found herself wondering why the Titans were so concerned about her. She was a criminal, a villain. Why weren't they treating her like one? As if reading her thoughts, Raven spoke again.

"You don't have to be so wary. Robin told us everything. What you've done isn't your fault because you did what you had to do."

Quiver thought this over for a second, and then shook her head.

"Raven, that's not true though. Sometimes I did what I did because, well, I enjoyed it. In some ways I liked stealing and lying. And I resented you guys because you all seemed so happy and carefree while I was stuck with Slade. Every day there was either physical or emotional pain and I just wanted someone else to feel that way. I don't deserve kindness from the Titans when I've done nothing but harm."

She looked away from the dark enchantress, both ashamed and relieved of her admission. To her surprise, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see that Raven had opened her door more in order to lay a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"It's not what you've done in the past, but what you do now that you're free of Slade."

Quiver smiled slightly and hugged a surprised Raven.

"Thank you Raven. Not just for healing me, but for listening too."

"That's… ok. I'm happy to have helped."

She was tense from the show of affection, but pleased that she managed to have a positive effect on their guest. Then, her communicator buzzed. Flipping it open, she opened it to hear Robin giving orders for the team to meet him in the common room.

"I have to go talk to Robin now Quiver, will you be ok on your own for a bit?"

"Yes I will, thank you, Raven. I was on my way to the gym to work out before we leave."

_***Scene break***_

Robin paced impatiently as he waited for his team. There was only forty-five minutes left until he and Quiver were supposed to meet Slade, and he wanted to inform his team beforehand. The first two to arrive were Cyborg and Beast Boy, who were in a heated debate over what Slade wanted from Robin. Beneath his mask, Robin rolled his eyes. It was just like his two jokester teammates to come up with ridiculous theories to explain Slade's call to the tower. Starfire was the next person to arrive. Robin smiled at her arrival. As usual, Starfire had a smile on her face and hope in her eyes, though Robin could tell that she was worried about Slade's renewed interest in him.

"Friend Robin, what is it that Slade wanted from you and Quiver?"

"Don't worry, Starfire, I'll tell you all everything Slade said as soon as Raven gets here."

The fiery-haired alien nodded and took a seat next to Cyborg and Beast Boy.

"Ok dude, now check this out. Slade wants Robin because he's going to tell him that he's his father, Darth Vader style."

Cyborg slapped him on the back of the head.

"Naw man, I'll bet Slade wants Robin as his apprentice again, and he's going to threaten us again to force him into it."

Robin looked at them and started pacing again.

"It's neither of those things. Where's Raven?"

"Calm down Robin, I'm right here."

The dark blue empath levitated over and took a seat next to Beast Boy. Robin nodded and began speaking to his team.

"Titans, Slade made true to his threat against Quiver. He has captured her father, and is using him to draw her and myself to Wayne Industries. We're supposed to meet him in about forty minutes now. He wants Quiver and I to come alone, but I don't trust him. I want you all on standby within half a mile of our location. If we need help, I'll buzz your communicators. It's not just Slade we need to watch out for; Quiver is deeply involved emotionally, and she won't hesitate to kill Slade if she gets the chance. I want him to face justice. Any questions?"

The team looked at each other, all except for Raven, who crossed her arms and lay back against the couch.

"If Quiver gets too aggressive, what do you want us to do?"

"Bring her down. She may be on our side now, but she doesn't care for the judicial system. Quiver wants to see Slade dead, no questions asked."

The team nodded, but unbeknownst to them the very person they were talking about was listening to their conversation through the door. Quiver frowned deeply, and started exploring the tower for a way off of the island. It took her fifteen minutes, but eventually she found the garage. Inside were several vehicles, some prototypes, and some that looked as if they were finished. She remembered Robin mentioning his R-cycle, which she could only assume looked like a motorcycle.

Frantically, she began searching, and luckily for her she found it quickly. Quiver didn't have keys, but Slade had made sure that she knew how to hotwire cars. After all, he might have had her stealing a prototype ship one day. Once she got it running, she examined the bike's controls to see if it had a flight mode of some sort.

While she was searching for that, the Titans were having another conversation upstairs.

"That's not the only thing I wanted to inform you guys about. What would you all think of Quiver joining the Titans?"

Silence fell, and he saw each of his teammates pondering having Quiver as a new addition to the team. Starfire was the first to decide.

"Oh wonderful! I would love to have Quiver as our new friend and Titan!"

Beast Boy scratched his head and his eyes went wide as he looked out of the window.

"Uh… dudes? Do you think we should have his debate later?"

Robin grew irritated at his easily distracted nature.

"Why not decide now? She seems willing to follow orders and thinks things over carefully if you give her a new perspective."

All Beast Boy did was point out of the window to a glowing cycle that was slowly growing smaller as it sped towards the city. Robin cursed under his breath and ran to the garage with the rest of Titans behind him, hoping that what they saw wasn't true. Unfortunately, it was. In the place where the R-cycle had been was a note. Robin picked it up and quickly read it.

_Robin,_

_ Thank you for the hospitality you and the Titans have shown me, but I will not let any of you stop me from bringing down Slade. I was hoping that you would understand why I wanted him gone so badly since you were once his apprentice as well, but I suppose not. I plan on facing Slade alone, and being gone by the time you get there. Slade doesn't deserve justice with all the injustices that he has committed._

_ Once again, thank you._

_ Quiver_

Robin cursed under his breath again.

"Titans! Go!"

_**Quiver just doesn't know when to listen =o**_

_**Quiver: They're too restrained! Slade is going DOWN!**_

_**Confident, isn't she? xD Anyways, I still haven't decided on a pairing, though I'm sure most of you have noticed me leaning towards RobxStar a bit. That could still change, mwahahaha!**_


	7. Chapter 6

_**Hello everyone! Teen Titans does not belong to me, only my OC, Quiver, does!**_

_**Chapter 6**_

The moon and stars glistened in the ocean as Quiver made her way to the shore. Robin's bike was quite reliable, if easy to hotwire. She tried to calm her quickly beating heart by taking deep breaths as she was riding. She felt guilty for betraying the fragile trust that the Titans had placed in her, but Slade didn't deserve the treatment of the courts. He had already killed her family; why did he have a right to live? She touched down on the pier and revved the cycle, speeding towards Wayne Industries. Slade would pay for everything he had done. All the hurt he had caused by killing her mother and brother would be repaid. All the bruises and cuts she had accumulated to keep her father safe. Trying to kill her had been the final straw. Satisfying thoughts of revenge stewed in her brain, squelching any guilt she had about the Titans.

The Titans, meanwhile, were trying to chase her down. Robin's cycle had a tracker in it, but none of them needed it; all of them knew where the former apprentice was headed. The plan for Robin to arrive with Quiver was down the drain; Robin expected that Quiver would want to confront Slade as soon as possible. Judging from her last encounter with him, Robin didn't expect to be greeted by a pleasant sight. Keeping this in mind, Robin had ordered the Titans to come with him to Wayne Industries to help take down Slade, and hopefully save Quiver and her father. What would happen to Quiver after this was still undecided; the team wasn't so keen anymore to welcome Quiver into their ranks.

As for Quiver, a burst of adrenaline swept through her as she saw the glowing white sign of Wayne Industries. Stopping the bike, she hopped off and began leaping her way up in the alley; the two buildings were close enough for her to alternate jumping from wall to wall in order to get to the top. Quiver performed a graceful back flip on the last jump and landed on the roof next to Wayne Industries. Staring across the yawning distance, she saw Slade and her father. Rage sped through her veins and she leapt across the gap before walking closer to Slade.

"Well my dear, I can't say I'm surprised that you came here alone. You always were rash, even while training."

Quiver pulled out a paralysis arrow and readied a shot on her bow.

"I'm not here to chat, Slade. I'll ask you once. Let my father go, or I will kill you."

"I thought you wouldn't kill anyone, Quiver. At least, that's what you said about Starfire. Am I really that different?"

"You're a villain, Slade. You killed my mom, my brother, and you tried to kill me. You don't deserve to live, no matter what the Titans think."

He walked closer to Quiver so that he was in the center of the roof.

"You must think you're so noble; wanting to rid the world of a killer. Yet in order to do it, you'd be killing me. Hypocrisy is a rather unbecoming trait, Quiver."

He was more amused than anything, which angered Quiver even more. She released her arrow and heard the satisfying shatter of the glass tip. Paralysis glass quickly billowed out, and she waited for it to clear. When it did, Slade was nowhere in sight. She went to grab another arrow, but someone strong grasped her arm and threw her towards her father. Quiver flipped in the air and landed on her feet, in time to see Slade rushing her. With reflexes she didn't know she had, she blocked his first punch and kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him back several feet. Adopting a sturdier stance, she dared him forward with a beckoning of her fingers.

The Titans were in sight of the building now. Starfire was carrying Robin, while Beast Boy was carrying Cyborg. Robin pulled out some binoculars, and wasn't surprised to see Quiver already fighting Slade.

"Ok Titans, our job is to subdue both of them. Go for Slade first; we'll deal with Quiver when we take him down. Her father is still on the building so I'm sure she'll stick around to protect him."

The Titans landed on the Wayne Industries building and immediately went for Slade. Now that he had a clearer view of Quiver, he could see that she had taken out a knife and was going for Slade with it. Unsurprised, Robin saw Slade pull out his own weapon, and mentor and apprentice crashed into each other, taking turns blocking and trying to land hits. Quiver managed to land a quick slash on Slade's hand, and both of them recoiled, assessing what their next move would be. Slade flicked a quick gaze towards his now bleeding hand, and that was enough of an invitation for Quiver to take her knife by the blade and throw it at Slade. Being the skilled fighter he was, Slade easily caught by the hilt, and advanced on Quiver quickly. Now it was her turn to go on the defensive, doing everything in her power to avoid the rapid slashing and stabbing of Slade's knives.

Starfire threw a starbolt at Slade and disarmed one of his knives, while Raven used her dark energy to apprehend his other knife and fling it away.

Quiver noticed this immediately and grew angry.

"Stay out of this! This is MY fight!"

"Quiver, this is just as much our fight as it is yours. If we have to take you down too in order to secure Slade, we will. Let us do our job."

Ignoring him, Quiver went for Slade again. He was preoccupied by the green Tiger that Beast Boy had transformed into, and he wasn't prepared to take a powerful kick to the side of the head. Whipping around once again, Slade found himself face to face with both Robin and Quiver, each trying to get an edge on him. Without even trying, Quiver and Robin took turns advancing on Slade. When one would get beat back or set up an opening, the other would quickly counter with the necessary move. The other Titans looked on, not knowing whether Robin and Quiver had it handled or if they needed help.

"Serena!"

The terrified voice of her father snapped Quiver from her fighting zeal and she turned back to see a group of Slade-bots headed towards him. Breaking from the fight with Slade, Quiver rushed towards them, firing a few arrows with plain tips, catching Slade-bots in their necks, causing them to either explode or cease to function. Robin, meanwhile, saw her break from the fight.

"Quiver!"

An explosive disc flew past his face and blew up at Quiver's feet, causing her to fly forward and hit her head on the cement roof. Blinking away stars, the archer gained her feet again and engaged with the remaining five Slade-bots, while the Titans went to Robin's aid. Slade, seeing that his bots were being quickly dispatched, turned to Robin.

"Until another day, when it's a more fair fight, Robin."

The masked man threw an explosive at the ground, and disappeared in a wall of smoke. Robin slammed his fist against one of the giant letters on the building angrily, and stalked over to Quiver, who had just dispatched the final Slade-bot and was untying her father.

"Serena… is that- is that really you?"

Quiver removed her mask and looked into his identical green eyes, a smile growing on her face, and tears forming in her eyes.

"Yes Daddy, it really is."

Father and daughter threw their arms around each other and cried. They cried because they hadn't seen each other in years. They cried because of their lost family, but most of all they cried because they thought their nightmare was over. Robin didn't want to interrupt their happy reunion, but he was infuriated at how Quiver had taken things into her own hands. The Titans looked on warily, knowing full well the extent of Robin's anger when Slade was involved. Quiver stood up and helped her father up, but before the two could hug again, Robin grabbed Quiver's shoulder and threw her backwards a bit. She stumbled, not expecting such a rough action, but stayed on her feet.

"Quiver, what the hell were you thinking?! We had a plan in place, and you just up and ran off! Slade got away because of you!"

She glared at him, the happiness of being reunited with her father drowned with Robin's outburst.

"I did what I had too. I wasn't going to sit around and let "justice" deal with him; not when I could do something myself! Why can't you understand that he needs to pay?! My family is DEAD because of him."

"That doesn't give you the right to be like him."

A second later, Robin partially regretted his words as he saw the look on Quiver's face. She looked as if she had been slapped, and she backed off towards the edge of the building.

"I am NOTHING like him."

"Quiver, wait, I didn't mean it like-"

She shook her head and ran, leaping off the side of the building. Metal clanked as the fire escape rattled, signaling her escape into the night. Robin looked to his Titans, who were staring wide-eyed at where Quiver had leapt off.

"Raven, reach out and see if you can sense where she plans on going. Starfire, and Beast Boy, search from the sky. Cyborg you and I will take Quiver's father to the hospital just to make sure he's ok. When he gets cleared for injuries, we'll take him back to the tower. If any of you find Quiver, bring her back to the tower."

All of them nodded and went to do their respective duties. Raven began meditating, concentrating on finding the out-of-control emotions that would signal Quiver's presence in the city. It wasn't hard for Raven to find her. Quiver was sitting on the viewing deck of a spire skyscraper. She could tell because Quiver was feeling at peace there; it was a frequent spot for her. Raven radioed Starfire and Beast Boy about her whereabouts, and the two titans quickly made for the spire.

_***Scene break***_

Quiver sat atop her favorite building, looking out at the view of the city. Lights blinked and cars moved along the bustling streets. Every now and then she'd catch a breeze that brought the scent of the ocean to her, and she sighed, her knees tucked up under her chin. Robin's words wouldn't stop playing in her head. Why would he say that? She was nothing like Slade… was she? Quiver refused to cry though. She would not let Robin make her feel bad. However, she did analyze the parallels between herself and Slade. She was determined to keep her family safe, and he was determined to win his little game against the Titans. She wanted to bring him down as revenge, and he wanted to bring the Titans down for revenge. There was no denying that she and Slade did have the same traits, but the motivations were different.

Thinking this over, she didn't notice the steps coming up to her. They were quiet and intent, trying hard to stay hidden. At the last moment, Quiver noticed this and jumped up and away from the mystery person, only to see that it was Beast Boy and Starfire. She relaxed a little more, but kept her distance.

"What do you two want?"

Beast Boy opened his mouth to speak, but Starfire cut him off.

"Please Quiver, we only wish to talk to you."

Quiver could guess what this was about, but she sat down anyway and motioned the two Titans to do the same.

"Talk."

This time, Beast Boy got a word in.

"We're supposed to bring you back to the tower. Robin and Cy went to take your dad to the hospital, and then they're taking him back to the tower for protection."

She was surprised to hear the part about her father, both Beast Boy and Starfire could tell, but her gaze hardened.

"You're not just baiting me, are you?"

"No Quiver! Listen, just hear us out, ok?"

The conflicted girl nodded at the green teen and stared out at the city while he talked.

"Robin didn't really mean to compare you to Slade. It's just… an obsession with him. Every time Slade pops up he goes a little crazy, you know? I once told him something I shouldn't have too. I compared his behavior to Slade's, and that was the wrong thing to say. None of us can really understand the effect that Slade has on Robin, and I guess on you as well. Anyways, Robin just wants to talk with you. You were both Slade's apprentices, it might be a kind of wacky therapy if you two got together."

Beast Boy blushed at that last sentence and rapidly tried to correct himself.

"I don't mean it like-"

Quiver chuckled slightly.

"It's ok Beast Boy, I know what you meant. As for Robin, he doesn't understand why I want Slade gone. He spent, what, two days with him? I was with him for four years. He's done things to me that Robin didn't have to endure. Sometimes I was a guinea pig for new tools to use against you guys. How do you think he perfected his probes? Other times he was pushing me so hard to succeed, that when I failed he would use combat training as an excuse to use me as a punching bag. But the worst part was, and still is, the mental and emotional abuse. He never stopped bringing up my mother and brother. Then he'd threaten my father, and tell me that all of the deaths in my family were my fault. I was so young that I didn't know what else to believe."

Quiver closed her eyes and sighed, struggling to maintain her calm façade as she relived her time with Slade yet again. Silence fell over the little group, broken by Beast Boy.

"You're just like Robin, you know. Always trying to be the strongest one of us and keep everything locked in. It's ok to have emotions though. Heck, even Raven has them, even if she doesn't use them. I should know; I've met them. Shy Raven was especially annoying. She apologized for, like, everything Raven had said or done to Cy and I over the years."

Beast Boy laughed at the memory, and Starfire giggled a bit. Even Quiver, in all her melancholy, cracked a slight grin. Beast Boy saw this and grinned wider.

"If you come back to the tower, you can hear all of my jokes! If you think that was funny, just you wait."

Quiver looked at the two, thinking. They were trying to understand her hatred for Slade, and even if they didn't fully appreciate it, she was grateful for their support.

"Ok, I'll go back to the tower with you guys."

"Oh, glorious! When we get back I shall recite the Tamaranean poem of Happiness; it has one thousand verses."

Quiver looked horrified for a moment, but quickly masked her fear.

"Uh that's ok Starfire, I'd be happy if you just hugged me."

The bubbly Titan agreed, and grabbed Quiver's arms to lift her in the air. The tower was only a short distance away, and Quiver was looking forward to seeing her father and catching up with him.

_**Another chapter for you all ^_^ I'm quite pleased with how this is coming along. Please R&R!**_


	8. Chapter 7

_**Hello everyone! Teen Titans does not belong to me, only my OC, Quiver, does!**_

_**Chapter 7**_

Back at Titan's Tower, Quiver noticed that Cyborg and Robin were not yet back with her father. She paced the common room like a Tigress waiting for a meal, until she finally came to rest on the couch. Beast Boy was in the kitchen whipping up some tofu sandwiches for himself, while Raven was busy brewing some herbal tea. Starfire was on the couch watching what Quiver had learned was her favorite show, World of Fungus. Quiver didn't know what to do. It was late at night; around twelve, and she had nowhere to sleep, and no other clothes. Wearing her uniform was growing to be a memory she wanted to forget, but she had nothing else to wear. Quiver looked over at Starfire, wanting to ask where she would be staying until the Titans figured out what to do with her, but she went to Raven instead.

"Hey Raven, I'm sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to know where you all want to keep me until you decide what to do with me."

Raven's hood was off, revealing her pale features and violet eyes, and she raised an eyebrow at Quiver's choice of words.

"You aren't a prisoner Quiver, so I'm sure that Robin won't mind if you rest in one of the rooms we have set up. I'll show you."

She motioned for Quiver to follow, and together the two women took the elevator to where the rooms were located. Passing by each room, Quiver realized how nice it must be to have your own room to personalize in whatever style you wanted. Starfire had showed Quiver her room, and though she wasn't a fan of the color pink, Quiver had admired Starfire's decorating style. Raven stopped in front of the room next to Starfire's. The name on the door was gone, but Quiver could see where the nameplate had been. Raven took a longer time than Quiver thought necessary to open the door, and when she finally did open it, she refrained of going in to far. The room was a desert-theme. The night sky was painted across the ceiling and the walls were adorned in earthy images. The closet was empty; as was the rest of the room, save for a large circular bed with sheets that matched the theme of the room. Quiver thought it was nice, but she preferred darker color schemes and greens to the browns in here.

"Thanks Raven, it looks really nice. Whoever lived in here must have liked it."

The dark enchantress looked around, and Quiver saw a flash of anger as her violet eyes took in the room. She was puzzled at such a reaction, but refrained from asking any questions.

"Yes, she did like the room. Just not enough to stay with us."

There was more to this room than Quiver could tell, but she knew that the previous owner had some sort of effect on Raven, and it wasn't a positive one. Still, she bid Raven good night and flopped on the bed. Quiver was tired from so much, and her wound was starting to bother her again. So she turned off the light and snuggled under the covers, falling asleep within minutes.

_***Scene break***_

Raven had already radioed Robin about Quiver's location, and he was proud of his teammate for finding the runaway girl so quickly. Starfire and Beast Boy were just the right people to talk to her as well, so he hoped that Quiver would soon be back at the tower. Cyborg and Robin had walked with Quiver's father to the hospital since they hadn't brought the T-car, and were now waiting in the waiting room for him to come out. Robin ran over everything Quiver's father had told them. His name was PeteJameson, and his daughter, Quiver, was Serena Jameson. Four years ago, he had received a call that his wife, Melissa, and son, Cody had been found dead in their burned down house, and that his daughter was missing. A couple days ago, a man had contacted Mr. Jameson saying he knew where his daughter was; he just had to show up in Jump City, and the man would meet him at the police station. On the way to the rendezvous, he was jumped by a bunch of Slade-bots and taken to Slade. The rest was easy to fill in.

Mr. Jameson was heartbroken when Robin informed him of where his daughter had been for the past four years, but he deserved to know the truth. Robin had been sure to clarify that his daughter was not in actual trouble since she had been protecting him from harm. However, he did not tell him that his daughter was going to get a very stern reprimand for completely botching the original plan to apprehend Slade. At that moment, Mr. Jameson himself walked out of the examination hall. He smiled at the two teen heroes.

"All is well boys; I'm free to go."

"That's good news Mr. Jameson; I'll call Raven, Starfire, and Beast Boy to give us a lift to the tower."

Once the call was made, it was just a matter of waiting. In just a few minutes, the three other Titans arrived on the scene and began carrying the men back to the tower. On the way, Robin questioned Raven.

"Did Star and BB manage to talk her down?"

"Yes, she's back at the tower right now. I put her in Terra's old room. I think she went right to sleep."

"Ok, I'll have to talk to her tomorrow then. When we get to the tower we'll show you your room, . Then I want the rest of us to get some sleep. It's been a hectic week. Cyborg, a direct approach isn't usually Slade's style, but to be sure I want all points of entry into the tower on lockdown tonight."

The half metal man nodded.

"On it, Robin. I'll change the security codes too, just to be safe."

"Good thinking Cy."

The rest of the flight home was uneventful, and when the Titans got back to the tower they were quick to retreat to their respective rooms. Soon the tower was dark and the Titans were sleeping. Well, at least most of them. Raven had mentioned letting Quiver use Terra's old room, and Beast Boy was awake thinking of the blonde-haired earth user. It seemed like just yesterday that they had met Terra for the first time. She was stunning and quite shy. To Beast Boy she always seemed to be running, whether it was literally or metaphorically speaking. So, in a state of nostalgia, he left his room and made his way to where Quiver was staying. He knocked on the door a couple times. Sure enough, the door opened, but he didn't see Quiver. Worried, he rushed in.

"Quiver? Quiver, are you here?"

He tried to squelch his panic, and was relieved when he heard her voice in the darkness of the room.

"Beast Boy? You scared me half to death. I-I thought you were Slade for a second."

Silently, she walked from the closet to the bed, her face turned towards the window, staring out at the night sky. Beast Boy walked over and sat a respectful distance away on the bed, wondering what was going through the archer's head. Something then occurred to BB.

"Hey, how were you able to move so quietly? None of these floors are very silent."

She turned to him, smiling ruefully.

"It was a trick that Slade taught me, in case I ever needed to ambush anyone. Anything you see me do, whether it be martial arts or a particularly difficult stealth move, I learned from Slade. The only thing I can attribute to me completely is my archery. Now Beast Boy, why are you here at two in the morning?"

The green teen had nearly forgot why he was in the room, but it was impossible to completely forget Terra.

"Did Raven tell you who this roomed belonged to?"

"No, but I noticed that she grew more tense just looking around it."

"Ya, Raven didn't like Terra much. I'm not surprised that she didn't tell you. Do you know who Terra is?"

Quiver turned to look into Beast Boy's eyes.

"Do you really want to know the answer to that?"

"Uh, duh… why else would I ask the question?"

She sighed, wondering how much to say, before deciding that he deserved to know what she knew.

"Yes, I do know who Terra is. Slade had us train together sometimes. Her powers were incredible, but her martial arts needed work. I can't give Slade all the credit for my acrobatic abilities; Terra's powers taught me to adapt to any change in surface or height, and to react quickly. She… she was a good friend to me. I didn't hear from Slade or Terra after they took over Jump. He had sent me to another city to see who the local heroes were. When Slade made contact with me again, he only told me that Terra was permanently indisposed."

Quiver watched BB carefully as she spoke. Terra had told her about her relationship with Beast Boy. The two had cared deeply for one another, even when Slade was controlling Terra. Seeing BB now, she could believe it. The teen had balled his fists up at how Slade had described Terra's sacrifice. After a minute, Beast Boy spoke.

"Do you know what happened to Terra?"

"No. Slade never told me."

"She sacrificed herself to stop a volcano from erupting. It would have taken out the entire city, but Terra used her power to stop it. She turned to stone in the process."

"Terra deserved better."

"Ya, she did."

The two sat in a comfortable silence, their thoughts bogged down by the mutual friend they had lost. Quiver stood and went to the window.

"This is why I hate Slade so much. He takes away everything you love and gives you nothing but pain. Nothing I learned was worth what I lost. How do you hold yourself together, Beast Boy?"

"I don't. I think about Terra all the time. Don't tell the others that though; there's no one else around here to be the funny guy."

Quiver chuckled slightly, despite their topic of conversation.

"I suppose that's true. Didn't you promise to tell me your jokes if I came back?"

At this, Beast Boy brightened.

"Do you really mean it?"

"Of course, you seem like a nice guy. Why don't you go get some of your sleeping stuff and bring it in here? We could have a Jokerama for the rest of the night."

"Dude, that's a great idea!"

And the green teen ran off. Of course he soon returned with all the sleeping essentials, and before long he and Quiver were joking around like old friends. Sometimes their laughter got too loud and they tried to shush each other, which only made them laugh more. Around four in the morning though, the two fell asleep. Both of them were just too tired from the previous day to stay up the rest of the night.

_***Scene break***_

Robin's alarm went off at six in the morning. He quickly dressed in his uniform and made himself some eggs for breakfast. His plan was to wake Quiver up at seven and talk to her about the incident yesterday night. He also had to talk to the team about her joining the Titans, as he was sure there would be mixed opinions now. Robin himself was conflicted. It was clear that she was a gifted fighter and a great marksman, but her rash actions yesterday had revealed an extremely independent nature, one that didn't take orders well. Although, Starfire had spent the most personal time with her, so she probably knew Quiver better than anyone else in the tower. He'd have to ask Starfire what she thought later.

Seven rapidly approached, and Robin took the elevator up to where Quiver was sleeping. The sight that greeted him when he opened the door to Terra's old room was unexpected. At the foot of the bed, Quiver had her head on BB's shoulder and the foot of the bed supported his head. The scene stopped Robin in his tracks for a second, but he quickly crossed the room and shook Quiver awake.

"Wha-? What is it, Robin?"

"Sorry to wake you so early, Quiver, but I wanted to talk to you about last night."

The archer rubbed her eyes sleepily and smiled goofily when she caught sight of BB sleeping against her bed.

"Sorry about that Robin; BB and I were up until early this morning telling each other jokes."

She shook the odd-colored teen, and he curled up into a ball.

"Leave me 'lone…"

"Wakey wakey BB, Robin's here, and it's breakfast time."

The mention of his leader had the teen jump up.

"Wah! Robin, nothing happened, I swear! We just- we were just talking about Terra, and telling jokes to each other."

Quiver grinned at his vehement denial of any funny business with her and laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Chillax BB, I already told Robin about what happened."

Robin raised an eyebrow at them.

"Right. Anyways, Quiver; come with me to the interrogation room. Beast Boy, get some breakfast. I want the team to be up and ready by eight. We have yet to finish discussing what we were talking about last night."

The changeling ran off, leaving Quiver and Robin alone in Terra's room. Quiver brushed her hair with a hairbrush she found in the bathroom, and quickly splashed water on her face. Staying up late had taken its toll; her eyes had dark circles under them and she looked weary. Finally, she followed Robin out of the room towards interrogation. Robin looked sideways at her.

"So… Terra, huh?"

He was obviously curious about what they had talked about. Quiver felt no guilt in repeating the conversation, though she was careful to leave out BB's part. He had been deathly earnest about her not mentioning to his teammates how he still missed her.

"Ya, BB came to me last night. He really liked Terra you know; I think some of those memories came back when he was told that I would be taking her room for a bit. I have met her before. She was a good friend to me."

Quiver frowned deeply.

"Beast Boy told me what happened to her… about the volcano. Slade never told me what happened to her; he only said that she "permanently indisposed."

"That sounds like something Slade would say."

The two teens were silent as they walked through the halls. Partially because the others were still sleeping, and partially because they were trying to figure out what the other was thinking. As soon as they arrived in the interrogation room, Robin took a seat and motioned for her to do the same.

"Ok, let's get started."

_**Kind of a fluff chapter, and the next chapter will probably be fluffy as well, but I promise there will be some action ;) R&R please!**_


	9. Chapter 8

_**Hello everyone! Teen Titans does not belong to me, only my OC, Quiver, does! A couple of stores are mentioned in here as well, obviously they don't belong to me either xD I just happen to like their clothes that they stock.**_

_**Chapter 8**_

Quiver couldn't help but feel uncomfortable in this room. She felt like a criminal in here, which, technically, she was, but she was hoping to be more of a hero now that she had broken free of Slade. She nervously clasped and unclasped her hands as Robin went over some files. Quiver figured it was some instances of her crime sprees as Slade's apprentice, but weren't they just here to talk about last night? She started to grow wary, but Robin merely looked up and crossed his arms, his face taking on an irritated scowl.

"So Quiver, do you want to tell me what the hell you were thinking last night? We had a plan, and you up and stole my bike, took on Slade alone, tried to kill him, and ultimately caused him to escape."

A slight tug in the corners of her mouth gave away how annoyed Quiver became with all the blame he was placing on her. She mirrored his pose and leaned back in her chair, trying to seem unconcerned.

"I thought the note would've explained everything, Boy Wonder. You don't seem to understand that Slade doesn't follow the same rules of honor that you have. Plus, an eye for an eye and all of that. Problem is, Slade only has one life to lose when he owes me two."

Robin sighed and ran his hand his through his spiky black hair, trying to think of a way to explain to Quiver why she was just wrong. It didn't take him long to think of a plausible way to have her see his point of view.

"Have you ever worked in a team before, Quiver?"

She raised an eyebrow in minor interest.

"No. Slade didn't feel the need to perform some team-building exercises with me."

He ignored the sarcasm in her last sentence and focused on the answer.

"Then you don't understand where I'm coming from. We put together plans so that everyone knows their part and performs their best. It also keeps everyone as safe as possible."

"I'm not some stupid little kid, Robin. I know very well what plans are for. However, seeing as I just agreed to _help_ and am not apart of your _team_, I don't see what I did wrong. All I did was take matters into my own hands. Why should anyone else possibly get hurt when it was my fight in the first place?"

"Ah, so THIS is why you went off. You thought we were just extra baggage. As I recall, your last solo encounter with Slade didn't end so well."

It was an insolent little jab, and her cheeks flushed red, probably from embarrassment and anger if Robin had to guess. She didn't react, however, so Robin pushed forward.

"Quiver, you aren't alone. We're here to help you, and we can't do that if you're so intent on doing things alone."

She looked away before murmuring a response.

"I've had to rely on myself for four years. There was no one for me to run to, no friends to call on. I'm not like you, Robin. I'm not so fortunate to have a family like you are."

Robin got up and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, now you've got five new friends. Let us prove to you that you can rely on us, and prove to us that we can rely on you."

After that it was menial questions. He brought up her past crimes and questioned her about Slade's likely whereabouts.

"Ok, stay here for a bit and think about what I said earlier. I have to talk to my team now, but I'll be back soon."

Robin left the interrogation room and started for the elevator. It had taken forty-five minutes to fully talk to Quiver, and eight was approaching. When he entered the common room, Beast Boy was repeating a joke Quiver had told him.

"So then she's like, 'A lion was talking to leopard. The lion noticed that the leopard was feeling kind of down, and asked what the matter. The leopard replied that his phone reception was spotty!"

For whatever reason, this cracked Beast Boy up, while Cyborg and Raven shook their heads. Starfire, curious as always, asked when the joke was supposed to be funny. The tone was so innocent that Cyborg burst out laughing, while Raven actually smirked a little. Robin stepped inside the common room and called everyone to the front.

"Ok, now that everything is calm, let's talk about Quiver again. Have any opinions changed since last night?"

Raven was the first to speak up this time.

"I don't know, Robin… if she can't follow orders, then she wouldn't be useful as a teammate."

Cyborg was quick to offer his two cents.

"I agree with Rae. We need people on the team that know when to defer control to others. She seems too headstrong."

Starfire was quick to disagree.

"How can you be so quick to condemn her over one mistake?! She is fun to do the hanging out with!"

Beast Boy looked uncomfortable being the new center of attention.

"Well, I think we should give her a chance… I mean, she's cool if you spend some time with her."

The team looked to Robin, who was now the deciding vote. He looked to this team, and then to the common room door. Eyes narrowed in thought, he sighed.

"We'll give her a trial run. Next time we go out on a mission, we'll bring her along and see how she performs."

At this decision, the Titans nodded. Starfire floated up to Robin.

"Robin, may I tell Quiver of your decision? I wanted to ask her to accompany me to the mall of shopping."

"Sure Star, and give her this communicator while you're at it."

She hugged Robin happily and flew over to the elevator, humming a Tamaranean tune as it ascended to where the interrogation room was. Upon reaching her destination, Starfire flew into the door to the room and hugged Quiver tightly.

"Friend Quiver! Would you please accompany me to the mall? We can get new clothes for you!"

"Starfire, you're… choking me!"

"Oh, I am sorry friend!"

Starfire released her hold on Quiver, who took a couple of breaths.

"I would love to shop with you, Starfire! But… you can just call me Serena. Quiver has nothing but unpleasant memories for me now."

She frowned slightly, lost in her thoughts, until Starfire hugged her again and shared the exciting news she had for her.

"But my friend, what will be your superhero name then?"

She gave Quiver the communicator.

"Starfire… Why are you giving me this?"

"We have decided to give you a running trial to be a Titan! So what shall your name be?"

Serena stared at the communicator in shock, but a pleased smile made its way across her face. They trusted her enough to become a Titan? Even after everything she had done?

"I'm not sure, Star. I'll have to think on it. In fact, why don't I think of it while we shop?"

"Glorious idea!"

The alien princess grabbed Serena's arm and ran out of the room with her, nearly running right into Beast Boy.

"Beast Boy! I am terribly sorry, would you like to accompany Serena and I to the mall?"

Aforementioned Titan rubbed his elbow where it had hit the wall in his haste to avoid Starfire. Then, he jumped up as he thought of an idea.

"Sure Star! Can we hit the game store while we're at it? There's supposed to be a new Mega Monkeys out!"

"Of course, dear friend!"

And with that, the Titans headed to the roof with Serena before taking flight towards the Jump City Shopping Mall.

_***Scene break***_

The mall was unsurprisingly packed. Serena felt terribly self-conscious surrounded by giggling teens her age with much more stylish clothing. She looked down at her dirty combat suit and sighed, hoping that she would be able to find some good outfits. Starfire glanced gleefully at all of the stores, while Serena followed Beast Boy's gaze to a game shop just inside the main doors to the mall. A sign out front advertised Mega Monkeys Smack Down, and he seemed to drool as he looked at it.

"Uh, Starfire? How are we going to get new clothes if we don't have any cash?"

None of them were carrying wallets, so Serena was genuinely curious as to how they were going to obtain new clothing. She had always had to steal her clothes, and she hoped no one at the mall would recognize her for it.

"Do not have the worries, Serena. Some of the storeowners are happy to give us free clothing as a thank you for our service to the city. Since you are with me, they should extend the same reward to you."

"But I haven't done anything good yet!"

"Not _yet_ you haven't."

Starfire winked and led their band towards Hollister.

"I'll catch up to you two later; Mega Monkeys is calling my name!"

Serena laughed and waved goodbye to the green teen before being pulled into Hollister by Starfire. The girls walked through racks of clothes and by shelves. Serena's eye caught on a pair of black and red-checkered ankle jeans. They were adorable; she had always loved rocker-looking clothing, and quickly picked up her jean size. For a matching shirt, she felt drawn to a simple black tank top and red silk top to go over it. As for Starfire, she had found a cute pair of rhinestone-studded skinny jeans and a white sequin top that looked amazing with her fiery hair. The girls proceeded to try on their chosen outfits.

"Serena, you look simply amazing in your outfit of choice!"

"Not compared to you Star; that top goes great with those jeans. Planning to impress a certain Boy Wonder?"

She blushed slightly, and disappeared back into the dressing room to obtain her hero get-up. Serena thought about ditching her combat suit, but quickly decided against it. If there was trouble, fighting in jeans and a couple of low-cut tops wasn't going to be comfortable or efficient.

Both Starfire Serena went up to the counter to confirm their "purchases" and the cashier gave Serena a scrutinizing look before her eyes lit up angrily.

"You! You're the one that stole the sweater and top from my shop! How dare you show your face here again! Starfire, please arrest this woman!"

The green-eyed teen giggled slightly.

"No, do not do the worrying; Serena is a friend of mine and no longer does the stealing. She may become a Titan soon."

Serena's face had reddened in embarrassment and she looked away, though the burning gaze of the cashier was still on her. The woman grumbled.

"Very well, but be careful not to trust her so easily, Miss Starfire. Once a criminal, always a criminal. "

Serena grew angry at this unfair judgment, but refrained from saying, _once a bitch, always a bitch_. Starfire and Serena quickly left, and Serena plopped down on a bench before Starfire could drag her to the next store.

"Starfire?"

The Tamaranean princess halted and came to sit beside her.

"What is it, friend Serena? Did the cashier upset you?"

"Am I that easy to read? I don't know Star… I really want to do good things now, but will the people of Jump ever trust me? You saw that cashier; she didn't trust me at all, and never will."

"All it takes is time, friend. When I first came to Earth, I destroyed many things before becoming a Titan."

"I know, but you didn't openly steal things, or break out of jail, or work for someone as evil as Slade. I ruined my chance at a good impression on the people of this city."

"Do not believe that you are evil, Serena, I know you can do good-"

A loud crashing interrupted whatever Starfire was going to say. Turning around, the two girls spotted a large, purplish-dripping figure. The thing wailed loudly and proceeded to trash the storefront of Kohl's before spotting Starfire and Serena. It let out a loud scream and walked towards them. Starfire's eyes started glowing green and she rose into the air.

"Plasmus! Serena, call the tower!"

"On it! Serena to Titan's Tower, is anyone there?!"

Cyborg appeared on the screen within a heartbeat.

"Well hey there little lady, how's your shopping trip going?"

"No time! Cyborg, Plasmus is at the mall! We need help, and I don't have my equipment with me!"

"We'll be there soon, Cyborg, out!"

Serena looked around to see that Beast Boy had rushed out and had transformed into a club-tail. He took a swing at Plasmus, but the ooze just cushioned the blow. In retaliation, Plasmus fired a glob of ooze at Beast Boy, which through him into a wall in his human form.

"Ugh, duuuude! It's going to take me a week to get his stink out of my uniform!"

Starfire was firing starbolt after starbolt into Plasmus, blowing several holes into his disgusting body. Unfortunately, he just reformed. Serena had no equipment, but she did know how to make a great distraction.

"Oh Plasmus! I didn't think it was possible to be so ugly, but man did you prove me wrong!"

At this the giant purple villain screamed in rage and fired blob after blob of ooze at her. Serena deftly flipped and cart wheeled out of the way, getting closer and closer to Plasmus. When she got within a good range, she jumped and front flipped, slamming her heel down his face, causing him to stumble backwards. Before she could land, however, his giant arm smacked her out of the way and sent her skidding across the floor.

"Ok, that one hurt a bit…"

The archer rubbed her head and got to her feet, feeling useless without her weapons. Having researched Slade's lackeys herself, Serena knew that Plasmus loved to get his hand on toxic waste for consumption. She also knew that physically beating him up was rather ineffective considering his regenerating body and overall ooziness. Another fact hit Serena as she felt a pinch on her elbow. Figuring it was nothing but a mosquito, Serena itched the area and sprang forward. _What's Plasmus doing here if there's no toxic waste? _Ignoring her inner curiosity, she went to join Beast Boy and Starfire in the battle once again, unaware of the Slade-bot disappearing into the shadows…

_**Oh, cliffhanger =o what will happen next chapter? Only one way to find out! As per my usual request, please read and review ^_^ I love reading constructive criticism! Also, starting this chapter, I'll be doing a mailbag to respond to comments on the previous chapter. I expect some fun times with this. Anyway, first session!**_

_**Folasade**_

_Oh my gosh! I think this is like my favorite fanfic yet! Thanks so much for updating as often as you have been! I think that Quiver is an awesome character and that it's cute how she and Beast Boy kind of interact. They'd be kind of cute as a couple (wink wink) as well._

**_Thank you so much for the complement! I'm glad my story has you so enthused ^-^! I think BB is a good match for her too, plus it would have me write in more of him =D_**

**_Equanox_**

_Great chapter as usual, keep up the good work, can't for that fluff._

**_Thank you so much! I hope to continue to make you happy with future chapters ^_^_**

**_LilLilGirl_**

_I luv it! After chapter I think if u wanted BBXQuiver it would be perfectly fine! They would keep each other happy :D update soon!_

**_Haha, I think the more I think of it, the more I like BB and Quiver together. I plan on updating every day since I have so many chapters written already ;) Currently I'm working on chapter eleven, and will probably have that finished soon. After that, I'll update each time I finish a chapter._**


	10. Chapter 9

_**Hello everyone! Teen Titans does not belong to me, only my OC, Quiver, does! The movies/products mentioned here also do not belong to me =)**_

_**Chapter 9**_

Serena was doing the best she could in the absence of her bow and arrow. Mostly she executed a few well-placed kicks or punches, not that they bothered Plasmus in any way. In fact if anything, they seemed to only amuse him. Adrenalin was sweeping its way through Serena, spiking when she got smacked away yet again by a massive fist. Starfire and Beast Boy were giving Plasmus as good as they got, but they needed the other Titans to be fully effective as a team. As if she had summoned them, Raven, Robin, and Cyborg burst into the mall through the front doors. By now the mall atrium was completely empty except for the two fighting sides. Robin ran over to Serena, who was still on the ground and breathing hard.

"Quiver, are you ok?"

"It's Serena, Robin, and I'm fine. Let's get to helping Star and BB."

He didn't look like he believed her, but she got to her feet and started running towards Plasmus, only to be stopped by Cyborg.

"Here little lady, I think you might need these."

The half-metal Titan tossed her beloved bow to her and the quiver of arrows she had left. Serena caught them and smiled a thank you before taking out a sleep gas arrow. The only way to stop Plasmus was to beat him into exhaustion where he would revert back to his human form. Running forward, panting with the effort, she called out to Robin.

"Get everyone clear! I'm going to try a sleep gas arrow!"

"No Serena! We don't know what that could do to him!"

Robin had a point, much as she hated to admit it. So she put the arrow carefully back into the quiver and slung her bow over her shoulder, going yet again for physical dominance instead of technological dominance.

Unbeknownst to Serena or the Titans, Slade was watching the whole thing. He chuckled amusedly as the Titans blew hole after hole into Plasmus, only to have him reform the damage.

"Titans, you are quite slow to learn."

His gaze turned to a monitor on the right, which had the vital signs of Serena. Her heart rate was going higher the harder she fought, and Slade clasped his hands, pleased.

"Yes Serena, keep speeding your blood around your body. The sooner the serum circulates through your whole body, the better. I can't have you telling the Titans anything damaging."

Back at the mall, the Titans were trying everything to bring Plasmus down. Nothing seemed to be working, but Serena had an idea. If he grew stronger with toxic waste, what would water do to him? Slinging her bow off of her shoulder, she aimed her regular arrows at the sprinkler system and fired. With each target she hit, the water started spraying Plasmus with greater effect. His body became more sluggish and goopy, and the holes the Titans were putting in him weren't regenerating properly. Eventually, the hulking villain fell to the ground and spread out, revealing his sleeping human form.

Breathing hard, Serena went to join the other Titans, who were sopping wet because of the sprinklers. As usual, Robin took charge.

"Good work, Titans, and great idea Serena; I never would've thought of that."

She smiled and waved him off; proud that she had done something right for a change.

"It was nothing, Robin. If you guys hadn't shown up, we probably wouldn't have won."

Starfire came and hugged her, and she hugged back, the incident with the cashier forgotten. She had been wrong; Serena _could_ do good things for the city. She'd prove all the doubters wrong as long as she had friends like the Titans who believed in her.

"Serena, have you come up with your superhero name yet?"

Starfire was looking at her with excited emerald eyes, and Serena nodded.

"Yes Star. When you think I'm good enough to join the team, you can call me Nightingale."

The Titans nodded in approval, and Starfire clapped her hands with joy.

"Please friends, may we celebrate our victory and have a movie night? We could have popcorn and non cotton candy."

"Dude! We could have a Mega Monkeys Smack Down tournament!"

"You're on, Green Bean, everyone knows that Cy is the king of Mega Monkeys."

This started an argument between Cyborg and Beast Boy about who was better at video games, and everyone laughed.

"Come on team, let's get back to the tower and have that movie night."

The six teens departed the mall, accepting the praise that was given graciously as they exited. Cameras snapped as news crews came to get pictures.

"Robin! Is it true that the Titans may be getting a sixth member?"

He declined to comment, instead motioning for BB, Raven, and Starfire to fly ahead while Robin, Cy, and Serena took the T-car. The drive home consisted of enthusing over their victory, and the sharing of strategies. Serena nodded and laughed along.

"Hey Robin, during the fight today, I felt like I was lacking in my martial arts. Would you spar with me sometime?"

"Sure, but you're pretty skilled already Serena. I don't know what you're hoping to learn."

"I just need someone to keep me on my toes. And you never know, we might teach each other some new moves."

The Boy Wonder nodded, and the car lapsed into a comfortable silence. When everyone arrived back at the tower, Star and Beast Boy had already set up a snack buffet, and chosen which movie to watch first. Starfire had managed to convince Beast Boy to watch "The Princess Diaries 2" and Raven was contentedly reading a book. Serena smiled at the movie choice. She remembered when the first "Princess Diaries" had come out. Her mother had taken Serena for a girl's day out; they had watched the movie then gone to lunch, and went shopping afterwards. To this day it was one of Serena's most treasured memories of her mom.

Tears began to prick at her eyes, and she hastily wiped them away before anyone could see. She had to be strong, and besides that she didn't want anyone worrying about her. So to distract her from her old wounds, Serena got up and picked over the snack buffet, walking away with her favorite kind of candy; a Cookies and Crème bar. Eating her favorite treat had always been a temporary relief; she had often stolen several bars from stores to create a mini stockpile back when she was with Slade. Whenever he hurt her to the point of emotional instability, she ate some chocolate. It was a juvenile solution to her problems, but what else was she to do? See a therapist?

As the night wore on and the movies continued cycling, Serena began feeling light-headed and exhausted. Groaning, she stood up and started making her way over to the kitchen for a glass of water, thinking she was dehydrated. When she got to the kitchen, she almost lost her balance, and caught herself loudly on the counter top before she could fall; this earned her Raven's attention, as she wasn't paying attention to the movie anyway. The violet-haired sorceress got up and walked over to a struggling Serena, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"Serena. Is everything ok?

Serena shook her head as much as she could.

"I don't know, Raven. I feel light-headed, and I don't remember feeling so tired in my life."

Had Serena been an untrained girl, Raven would've thought it was just the exertion of her first real battle. Serena, however, had been trained for four years by Slade, and had an endurance that could match most of the Titans. This sudden weakness was concerning.

"Stay here."

Raven walked over to the couch and got Robin and Cyborg's attentions. As leader, Robin deserved to know what was happening, while Cyborg was the one in charge of the infirmary since he knew the equipment there like the back of his hand.

"You two need to check on Serena. Something's not right; in fact I think she needs to be moved into the med-bay to make sure nothing is actually wrong."

The two boys grew concerned and left the couch, leaving a confused Starfire and an engrossed Beast Boy to the movie. By now, Serena was on the floor, her back against a counter. Her eyes were closed, but judging by her shaky breathing she was still awake and trying to reduce the amount of energy she was expending. Robin kneeled beside her and picked her up bridal style. Serena began mumbling in protest.

"You don't have to carry me like some kid; I can walk myself."

"Serena, you aren't feeling well and you look like you could fall over at any second. We're taking you to the med-bay."

"I'm just thirsty… There's nothing wrong with me."

Serena said this a little bit stronger, but every word felt like an effort to her. So she sighed and leaned her head against Robin's strong shoulder, allowing her three friends to carry her up to the infirmary. Once there, Cyborg turned on the light and had Robin and Raven make up a bed for Serena to lie on. By now it seemed like Serena had fallen asleep, but she opened her eyes slightly as she was placed on the bed.

"Thanks guys…"

Under the light of the infirmary lights, they could now see that Serena was shaking with fever and had a cold sweat, along with being more pale than normal. Robin's eyes went a bit wider than normal and Cyborg frowned. Raven raised a concerned eyebrow.

"What's wrong with her?"

Cyborg shrugged in response to Robin's question.

"We won't know until I can run some tests. While I'm doing that, I want you to go to that computer and start looking for some illnesses with her symptoms. Your results will help to narrow what I'm testing for. Raven, maybe go fill in Starfire and BB about what's happening?"

Raven nodded and promptly left the room, leaving Cyborg and Robin alone with Serena. Robin had already rattled off several illnesses, but one matched her symptoms almost exactly, save for the light-headedness and exhaustion.

"Cyborg, what about Septicemia?"

"Blood poisoning? Hm… That could be it, but did she tell you about cuts that could have been infected?"

"No. I don't think she told anyone else either. That wouldn't surprise me with how she tried to blow off her illness earlier."

Cyborg frowned and shook the ailing girl slightly, causing her to open her eyes a tiny bit. He hated waking up sick or hurting team members when they needed rest, but this was a serious matter.

"Serena, do you have any cuts or injuries we can look at?"

Serena sighed sleepily and twitched her right arm slightly.

"Mosquito bit me on the elbow earlier… I never felt it itch."

Cyborg gently lifted up her arm as she fell back asleep and pulled her sleeve up so he could examine her elbow. What he saw horrified him. The wound was definitely infected, but it was no more than a pinprick in her skin. The tissue around the area was swollen and hot, but it was far too precise to just be a mosquito. In addition, spreading from the wound were streaks where her veins were, colored a sickly-looking shade of brown and green. He beckoned Robin over quickly.

"Quick, get me the penicillin!"

"Why, what's wrong?!"

"She definitely has Septicemia. If she doesn't get a massive dose of penicillin, she'll go into septic shock and probably die."

At this, the Boy Wonder flung open the medicine cabinets, frantically searching for penicillin. To his shock, he discovered only a single bottle, and it was expired.

"Cyborg, we're out!"

The half-mech teen cursed.

"Get Raven and Starfire in here!"

Robin pulled out his communicator and called up Star and Rae. Within a minute both girls were upstairs. Star was the first in the room and rushed to Robin, who held her as she looked grimly at Serena's weakened body.

"Is she going to be ok, Robin?"

"Not if you and Raven don't hurry to the hospital and get penicillin. Grab Beast Boy on the way out; Cyborg believes that she was administered something to aid in contracting blood poisoning. I don't want to take any chances that the penicillin carrier is attacked on the way back to the tower."

The two female Titans nodded determinedly and quickly left the room to grab Beast Boy. In another minute Robin caught sight of three figures flying as fast as they could towards the Jump City hospital.

_***Scene break***_

Starfire willed her powers of flight to go faster. She didn't know what blood poisoning was (they didn't have such an illness on Tamaran), but from Raven's explanation and looks on Robin and Cyborg's faces, it was not well. Beast Boy was in the form of a Golden Eagle, while Raven was keeping pace with her. It felt like hours before they reached the hospital, though in reality it was only a few minutes. Cyborg and Robin didn't know how septic her blood had become, so every second was precious. Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy immediately landed and ran straight into the emergency room.

The receptionist at the front of the room looked up in shock at the sudden approach of three Teen Titans, and her mouth fell open slightly. Raven knew the most about the condition, and did the most talking.

"We have an emergency at Titan's Tower and need the amount of penicillin required to treat septicemia."

The nurse still looked startled, and Starfire began to pace nervously. Beast Boy's eyes kept flicking to the door of the hospital, as if he wanted to run out and fly back to his fading friend. Finally the nurse gained her composure.

"Miss Raven, it would be best to bring the patient here where she could have an eye kept-"

Raven shook her head, trying to keep a level head.

"Ma'am, we have no time. We don't know how far along she is with septicemia. She needs the medicine as soon as possible."

"Very well, I'll get it right now."

Raven nodded in thanks and stood waiting. Within mere seconds the receptionist was back with a small bottle of penicillin.

"The nurse said to inject this straight to the wound and to come back for more if you need it."

The Titans nodded their thanks and rushed back out of the hospital. Raven tucked the bottle into her cloak.

"I'm going to teleport back to the tower, meet me-"

Raven was interrupted as Slade-bots started dropping around the front of the building. The three Titans got into offensive stances, but Starfire shook her head as her eyes and hands lit up green.

"Get the medicine to Serena, Raven. Beast Boy and I can handle the butt kicking here."

Raven nodded and sunk into the ground, chanting her mantra before taking the form of a large black Raven and teleporting away. Before she had even left, Starfire and Beast Boy had started demolishing all the Slade-bots they could see. Beast Boy took the form of a T-Rex and began going on a rampage, using every method he could think of to dispose of the bots. Starfire merely flew and shot starbolts, blasting off her eye lasers every now and again. Before long, all of the Slade-bots were gone. Beast Boy looked around, now as a Gorilla, before shifting back to human form and looking at Starfire.

"Couldn't Slade, like, bother us when we have less important things to do?"

"Friend Beast Boy, I believe that that is the whole reason he chose to bother us at all."

_**I'm not a fan of this chapter ._. it feels… choppy. I'll probably go over it and make some changes eventually, but I didn't want to disappoint by putting a chapter out late. Please R with this chapter I feel I could use some extra critiques. Anyways... MAILBOX!**_

_**Folasade**_

_Ooh cliffhanger! I can't wait to see what Slade's planning. This story's great. Thanks again for updating as often as you have been. Quiver- er Serena rather- should so be considered in the show. Just saying ;D_

**_Thank you so much! I hope to continue to keep you happy with continuous updates in a timely manner :) I find it a huge complement that you think Miss Serena is show worthy! As for Slade... He is a devious villain xD He is my favorite villain from Teen Titans besides Mumbo_**


	11. Chapter 10

_**Hello everyone! Teen Titans does not belong to me, only my OC, Quiver, does!**_

_**Chapter 10**_

Cyborg and Robin could do nothing for Serena except to help ease any pain while waiting for Raven, Starfire, and Beast Boy to return with the penicillin. On the machine that monitored Serena's heart rate, it was showing a slight slowing of her heartbeat. Her breathing was shaky and becoming labored, but through all this her face was in the peaceful throes of sleep. She had fallen into slumber shortly after Cyborg had asked about having any cuts or other injuries. Robin sat on an adjacent bed where he could keep watch over his ailing friend. _Come on, Raven, get a move on! Serena needs that medicine! _As if summoned, a black Raven appeared in the infirmary with black wings spread wide. Upon disappearing, Raven herself was revealed. The dark enchantress retrieved the small penicillin bottle she had gotten at the hospital and handed it to Cyborg. Immediately, he took a needle and started drawing some of the precious contents from the container. Raven turned to Robin.

"Starfire and Beast are being attacked outside of the hospital by Slade-bots. Safe to say we know who wanted Serena gone."

Her voice was steady and emotionless as she delivered the news, and Robin slammed a fist into the wall.

"We should have seen this coming. Of course Slade won't want his longest apprentice alive to tell us some stories about him."

Raven laid a steady hand on his shoulder.

"Have you told her father yet?"

Robin stared at he stupidly. That should have been his priority. Serena had planned to spend the day tomorrow with him since Starfire wanted to take her shopping, but he hadn't shown up for the movie night. Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, Robin left Cyborg to his work and went to the room where Mr. Jameson was supposed to be staying. Robin knocked on the door once, twice, three times before he entered the code to unlock the door himself. Inside was nothing but a scrap of white paper on the neatly made bed. The Boy Wonder walked over and picked it up, eyes scanning the handwritten note.

_ Titans,_

_ Thank you for allowing me to stay in your tower, but I'm afraid I must get back to work. When Serena wants to head home, just tell her to head to the train station and catch a train for Gotham._

_ Regards,_

_ Mr. Jameson_

Robin took the piece of paper with him back to the infirmary to show to Raven. Upon reading it, she seemed puzzled.

"No phone number or place of work… Just who is this guy?"

"I don't know, Raven, but let's not tell Serena about the note. I don't want her anywhere we can't keep an eye on her. Slade hates to lose."

It seemed like he was losing the battle for Serena. Looking over at Serena, Robin could see that she wasn't sweating as badly, and her breathing had become healthier. It was still shaky, but less labored. Cyborg stood up from where he was checking the equipment and her vitals and walked over to the two Titans.

"She seems stable, and that penicillin sure helped. I'm going to stay here overnight to make sure there are no more problems. Someone should probably call Star and BB to make sure they're alright."

Raven nodded and took out her communicator, but before she could bring up the two absent Titans, Starfire and Beast Boy walked into the med-bay. The former walked up to where Serena was lying down.

"Please, is friend Serena feeling better?"

"No worries Star, I gave her the penicillin Raven brought, and she seems to be improving. I'll be staying in here tonight to make sure everything is ok."

Starfire clapped her hands happily while Beast Boy reported to Robin.

"Dude, Starfire and I totally kicked Slade-bot butt! Creating a distraction so Raven could get back. Pretty sweet, huh Rae?"

"Yes, sweet, even if my powers allow me to teleport whenever I want."

Her voice was sarcastic, even if it was delivered in her trademark monotone. Beast Boy frowned slightly, unsurprised, but still un-amused at her lack of enthusiasm for their victory. Robin stood up from the wall and motioned to his teammates.

"Come on, team. Let's leave Serena to rest so Cyborg can keep an eye on her in peace."

One by one, the four Titans filtered out, until Robin and Cyborg were the only two remaining. Robin narrowed his eyes at the sick archer in bed and turned to Cyborg.

"How long until she's out of danger?"

Cyborg turned to examine Serena himself, noting her breathing patterns and vital signs.

"A couple days at least. Her body needs time to expel the poison from her blood, and that can be exhausting."

"Ok. Crime doesn't stop for a downed Titan though, so we need to be on our toes. Whenever we have to leave the tower on a call, I want one Titan to stay by her side and make sure she stays safe until she can talk. We need to know everything about her life with Slade. What his plans were with Terra, why he seemed to know everything about the Titans, and why exactly Slade chose Serena to be his apprentice in the first place."

"Ok Hair Gel, no need to set up an entire interrogation before she's even awake. Get some sleep and I'll keep an eye on Sleeping Beauty here."

Robin nodded and headed out of the room. Instead of heading to bed, however he headed to the research room. Littering the walls of the dark room were stories and newspaper clippings about Slade. A single light lit up a table in the center of the room. It was to this that Robin walked over to and stood staring at. On the table was information about mostly Slade, but a single file had the name "Serena 'Quiver' Jameson" on it. He leafed through the many records he had collected since she had come to the tower. Birth certificate, education record, even competition entry forms and records. The closest thing he had connecting Serena to Slade was the article about the fire at her home that had killed her mother and brother. The article had made front-page headlines in Gotham, and spread further out to the country when no culprit was found. To this day it was an unsolved case, but Robin now knew that it had been Slade all along from what Serena had told them. It seemed like a straightforward case, but Slade had targeted her for a reason. He intended to find out just what that reason was.

Robin brought up Serena's medical history for what felt like the tenth time. Serena' was average in height for a female, maybe slightly taller, at five feet eight inches tall. She had a minor case of scoliosis that wasn't expected to worsen, and judging from her rare breakdowns, Robin guessed that she might be depressed, but she never opened up enough to confirm this, nor were her medical records from before she was thirteen. In 6th grade she broke her left arm. According to the records, she had gotten the cast on, and had it removed a mere two weeks later. This struck Robin as extremely strange. Originally he had thought it was because she had small bones, but even someone small-boned would need a cast on for at least three weeks. Digging deeper into her records, he discovered a couple more instances where medical care was either shortened more than normal, or was unnecessary.

Tucking this away to ask Serena about later, Robin turned to her competition records. Since she was seven, Serena had been recorded in competitions. Her first few were out of the money, but there was a sharp jump in performance that started when she was eleven. This streak of winning or placing coincided with her freak medical incidents. For Robin, this was too suspicious to be a coincidence. He placed the competition records with her medical papers and poured over other records, trying to get more information about what had happened between her tenth and eleventh birthdays. Nothing out of the ordinary was present.

Robin felt his eyes drooping and decided to call it a night. He had a hunch about Serena now, but only she could confirm if it was correct or not. Tucking the file under his arm, Robin left the research room and locked the door before heading to his own room. Between the movie night and Serena's health deterioration, he felt exhausted. Flopping down on his bed, Robin couldn't help but wonder what the next few days would bring. He always expected trouble from Slade, but what other threats would the city have to face? With his decision about leaving a Titan behind to keep an eye on Serena, they would be down to four Titans to fight crime. Unless, of course, she joined the team…

Robin had gotten the team to agree to a trial run to see how she would fit in with the Titans. So far she had gotten close to Beast Boy and Starfire, and even talked to Raven a bit. The fight with Plasmus had shown Robin that Serena could actually take orders, and she was quick on her feet to think. He hadn't really gotten to see the extent of her martial arts prowess, but much as he hated to admit it, four years with Slade would have turned her into a dangerous enemy at close range. Maybe he would take her aside and spar with her personally when she was feeling better. Mentally slapping himself for delaying sleep, Robin tucked himself into bed and fell asleep.

_***Scene break***_

In the med-bay Cyborg was taking infrequent naps while checking up on Serena. She had improved more from earlier, and her light breathing told him that she was resting comfortably. To Cyborg, her quick recovery was remarkable considering how bad she had gotten earlier. This was further emphasized when, to Cyborg's surprise, he saw Serena open her eyes and blink a few times, trying to accustom herself to the darkness of the room. Then she sat up and rubbed her eyes, stretching as if waking up from a long nap. Only a yawn betrayed how tired she had been, and still was to a certain extent. Cyborg said nothing, only watching until her green eyes fell on him quizzically.

"Cyborg? What happened? Why am I in the med bay?"

The half robotic teen walked over and checked her temperature and vitals, responding as he did.

"You nearly passed out in the common room during the movie night. When we brought you here and ran some tests, we discovered that you had blood poisoning. Raven, Star, and BB had to run to the hospital to get some penicillin for you."

Serena still seemed puzzled.

"But, I only remember having a mosquito bite that could've gotten infected… I got that while we were fighting Plasmus yesterday; there's no way it could've gotten infected that fast."

Cyborg sighed and put a hand on his head, wondering how much he was free to tell her. However his hesitation gave him away as Serena narrowed her eyes.

"Ok Cyborg, spill. What do you know?"

Well damn. The girl was more observant than he thought, but until Robin gave him the ok to explain their theory to her, he had to remain tight-lipped.

"Sorry Serena, but that is need-to-know information. If Robin gives me the ok to tell you then I will, but until then you should get some more rest. You were in pretty bad shape earlier."

Serena rolled her eyes and spoke in an annoyed tone of voice.

"Look Cy, I'm not some civilian that needs protecting from a harsh truth. I've been under Slade for a long time; I've heard and seen things I didn't like, but I dealt with them accordingly. I'm sure whatever you're trying to hide isn't any worse than anything Slade told me over the years. Besides, I can always find out the hard way if that's what it takes to learn the truth."

The last part was delivered in a mild tone as she looked him straight in the eye. It was this focus that told Cyborg she wasn't kidding about finding out. So the Titan sighed and took a seat across from her.

"Ok, but you didn't hear this from me, got it?"

Serena nodded, satisfied about getting some information.

"We believe that the sudden onset of Septicemia was caused by Slade. That 'mosquito bite' on your elbow was actually too precise to be a bite. Slade must have injected something into your blood stream that poisoned you. After getting the penicillin, Star, Raven, and BB were jumped by a bunch of Slade-bots. The attack was probably a tactic to delay them from getting the medicine back to us on time."

The whole time he was speaking, Cyborg kept an eye on Serena's face to see what she thought. She showed slight surprise at the mosquito bite theory, but beyond that she had a poker face on, except for when she rolled her eyes as he finished.

"Typical Slade. The coward can't face me head to head so he uses a sickness to do his dirty work."

Cyborg was both amused and concerned about her bravado. There was a fine line between confidence and cockiness, and she was dancing dangerously on that line. Slade was not one to be trifled with; he and the rest of the Titans knew that from personal experience. He was surprised that she wasn't showing as much reflection over almost dying. Serena caught note of his raised eyebrow.

"What? Slade never does anything himself unless the objective is of the utmost importance. Otherwise he'd either send his bots or myself to get the job done. Next time he actually comes crawling out of that hideout of his, I'll be ready."

To emphasize her point, she balled a fist and pounded it into her other open hand. Cyborg chuckled a bit and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Easy there little lady, you still need to rest up. Dawn's not to far off and Robin wanted to chat with you as soon as you were up."

"Sleep? Are you kidding me? I'm STARVING! Do we have any eggs? Could we have grated cheese on them? That's how my mom used to make them, and it was delicious. In fact, one morning she made me an all cheese omelet with bacon. Man that was good. It was the morning of one of my bigger-"

She stopped suddenly, and the excited, kid-like rambling faded to be replaced by a cloak of sadness.

"Come on Serena, what's wrong?"

Serena wasn't ready to completely divulge why a silly mention of breakfast could turn so melancholy to her, so she gathered up her wandering emotions and locked them away.

"Nothing important Cy, I'm going to make myself some bacon and eggs if you'd like to join me though."

Before he could respond, she leapt out of the bed and left the room behind, heading instead to Terra's old room, where she had stored her previous day purchase. Slipping the jeans and shirts on, she went out the first door she saw, which was a flight of stairs that led to another door. Opening it, Serena was greeted by the distant muffle of crickets chirping and a blanket of stars. No moon shone on the pre-dawn night, but that was fine for Serena. She breathed in and felt herself smile a genuine smile for the first time in years.

"Wow!"

She had never been on the roof of Titan's Tower before, and part of her wondered why it wasn't the main attraction of the tower itself. The view was incredible! Directly in front of her was a phenomenal panoramic view of Jump City. Everywhere else was either rocky shores or endless ocean. The wild waves crashed along the shore and immediately reminded Serena of her brother. Cody had always been a wild child. With his red hair and splash of freckles, he looked more like his mother than anyone. In fact they were so close in age that people would often ask if Cody was her boyfriend. The only feature the siblings shared was their dark green eyes.

One memory in particular stuck out among the many of her brother.

"_Hey, hurry up Serena! The candy shop closes at eight! That's only fifteen minutes away!"_

_He bounded down the street, passing stores and restaurants easily. The normal hustle and bustle of San Francisco was dying down for the day. Tourists were returning to their hotels and residents were returning home after another day hard at work. Serena wanted nothing more than to care for her bow and curl up with a good book, but Cody had wanted to go to the candy store for a giant jawbreaker, and her mother never permitted him to go alone. He was only nine after all, and being the oldest child at eleven, Serena was forced to go with him. In truth, the candy store was only a five-minute walk away from home, but her mom was protective of her two kids, and furthermore liked them to spend time with each other._

_Serena wasn't entirely bent out of shape about leaving. Her mother HAD given her five dollars to get whatever she wanted. What annoyed her most was her brother's constant state of excitement. Anything new or different always drew his attention, and a five-minute walk quickly turned into a ten-minute one. Each time Cody wandered off to see something, Serena had to remind him of their destination to get him back on track. By the time they got to the candy store, however, it had closed._

"_Aw no! We missed it! Serena, couldn't you have walked faster?!"_

_She snorted in amusement._

"_Hey, I was right behind you. It's YOUR fault for wanting to look in every store window possible on the way here! Now we wasted time getting over here AND we have no candy!"_

_The nine-year-old's lip quivered and his wide eyes grew glassy with tears. Serena knew he was about to break down, and hastened to prevent it._

"_Hey, hey, no crying, ok? I'm sorry. I should've walked faster like you said, just don't tell Mom, ok?"_

_She knew her brother would've just gone home and made up some lie about how Serena had done something to prevent him from getting his candy. Or Cody would claim that she had hit him. That was the usual excuse for when he lost an argument and threw a tantrum over it. Cody sniffled in response, but was distracted when a man in black grabbed a woman who was walking by the alleyway. She looked like an employee from one of the stores that were closing up, but Cody paid that no mind. Instead he ran over to the alley._

"_Cody! Come back here!"_

_Serena was terrified of what would happen if the man saw her little brother, especially when he pulled a knife on the woman. The robber, intent on getting his prize, did not notice Cody until the last moment. By then, it was far too late as the nine-year old kicked him right in the crotch. The robber howled in pain and dropped the knife, allowing the woman to escape into the street, yelling something about 9-1-1. Serena ran across the street, much to the annoyance of some screeching tires and loud honks, and grabbed her brother's arm._

"_Run!"_

_Together the two siblings pounded down the sidewalk towards their house, the depression over their lack of candy gone over their fear for being caught by the man in black. By the time the pair got home, they were gasping for air, with red cheeks and heaving chests. Serena rang the bell frantically, stopping only when her mother opened the door._

"_Serena! You know better than to- what's wrong?"_

_Serena froze at the question, wondering if her mother would be angry at her for not preventing Cody from doing something so dangerous as kicking an armed robber. Before she could think of something to say, Cody jumped in with his own response._

"_I saved some lady from being robbed by kicking the guy!"_

_He looked quite proud of himself. Unfortunately for Serena, both she and Cody received a lecture on what to do if they see someone dangerous, but at the same time received praise for helping someone out._

Serena didn't know why she remembered that day so clearly. Maybe it was to remind her of how brave her little brother was, or maybe it was to hold onto something to help her keep her head on straight. Regardless, Serena walked to the edge of the roof and stood, as the tears she often locked up came spilling out. She made no sounds, just stood and breathed as her face became wet with unfelt grief. Under Slade she had had no time to grieve for her family. Serena had to be tough from the get-go; any sign of weakness earned her one form of punishment or another. Now there was all the time in the world, and she didn't know how to handle it. A voice behind her startled her out of her thoughts.

"Serena."

_**Oh, mystery person :o R&R, lovely readers? :3 There are cookies for the taking for reviews! ***__**holds out basket of cookies**__*** To the mailbag!**_

_**Equanox**_

_Its great to come home to see a new chapter._

**_I hope to continue to put out chapters a day, but even if I do slow down, have no fear, for I make sure to work on new chapters each day :)_**

**_Folasade_**

_Go Raven, go! Heal Serena (or Nightingale)! I'm like biting my nails here (when I'm supposed to be doing homework...). Keep up the awesome work! *mental thumbs up*_

_**I will try and make sure that your homework time was well-sacrificed! *returns thumbs up***  
_

_**LilLilGirl**_

_Thank u soo much for updating as often as u do, this story is getting great! And if u rly wanted to throw in some drama later ( this is only if BB and Serena get together ) the TT could find a spell or potion that heals Terra to get her out of her stone trap! Then BB would have to chose which one he likes more, lol its just an idea... Anyway keep up the good work gurrl! :D_

**_You are quite welcome! I just get so excited to see how you all react to the next part of the story that I can't help but put up chapters at such a quick pace xD the suspense kills me, haha. As for Terra, I don't know how to work her in without her becoming more of a focal point in the story when I'm trying to build up Serena/Nightingale and her link with Slade. But if Terra can't truly test BB and Nightingale, perhaps someone else can... ;)_**


	12. Chapter 11

_**Hello everyone! Teen Titans does not belong to me, only my OC, Quiver, does! Her costume also does not belong to me.**_

_**Chapter 11**_

Serena had heard the voice enough in the past to identify whom it belonged to. Spinning with amazing agility, Serena planted herself in a defensive stance, inwardly cursing herself for not putting on her combat uniform instead. Jeans were no good to fight in. To Slade, however, it was a fortunate way to catch her; defenseless and underequipped. The masked villain stood leaning against the side of the tower entrance, as if ready for an amiable chat. However, as Serena knew well enough, Slade never did anything without a reason. Her biggest anxiety was wondering what his reason was. Was he there to finish her off? Undermine her abilities? Sabotage her growing bond with the Titans? If there was one advantage Serena had, it was being able to predict the usual methods of Slade's approach. What she did not expect, however, was for him to come out swinging like he did. Without having time to react, Serena felt his fist connect painfully into her jaw, sending her spinning dangerously close to the edge.

Though she hated to admit it, Slade had trained her well, and she maneuvered away from the edge and behind him, delivering a kick to his back. She heard him grunt slightly, but gave no indication of being in any pain. Serena found herself growing angrier and more afraid with each passing second. What could stop this man? And more importantly, when would HE stop? He came at her again, but this time she was ready. Blow after blow she parried, and she even managed to land her own punches. There was something wrong here. Slade had never been easy to hit even while they were "training," but all of a sudden he gets sloppy? To test him, she flipped gracefully away to the door. Banging on it as hard as she could to draw attention from the Titans, she turned back to Slade.

"Gee Slade, who was the ACTUAL apprentice here? I haven't seen such sloppy movements since I first started martial arts."

He chuckled in amusement.

"Dear child, if I was actually trying, you would be beaten already. There is no fun in defeating an opponent of lesser skill."

Serena always had a hard time keeping her temper in check around Slade. With him insulting her constantly, it made her temper boil that much more. Crying out, she rushed Slade again, only to have him parry all of her would-be blows. When she kicked out, he grabbed her leg and threw her into the door. The force broke it off of its hinges, and down the stairs she flew with the door rattling down behind her. Groaning, she stood up and turned to the right as footsteps pounded down the hallway.

"Serena! What's going on?"

She looked up at the Boy Wonder and then up the staircase she had been thrown down. Getting up, she started back up the stairs.

"Let's just say that Slade wanted to check in on my 'condition.'"

When the name Slade entered the picture, she immediately heard the pounding of Robin's footsteps behind her. Serena didn't know where the other Titans were, but she felt more confident with Robin by her side than any of the other Titans. He was more skilled with martial arts than her, and was almost on par with Slade himself. With the both of them together, they should be able to take him. When they got up to the roof, however, Slade was nowhere to be found. Serena slammed her fist into the side of the wall, cringing at the force, and slid down the wall, sighing.

"Why can't he just leave me alone? I don't belong to him anymore, and I don't want anything to do with him either."

Robin looked at Serena's face as she stared off into the distance. For the first time he noticed her eyes were red, as if she had been crying. He laid a comforting hand on her shoulder and began formulating something to say, but before he could say a word, she continued.

"Ever since I was eleven, I knew my life wasn't going to be normal. I didn't want to say anything before because I was afraid Slade would find out, but now I realize that he probably already knew. Back when I was younger, I swam in a lake that was apparently contaminated by toxins from a factory. Ever since then I could see things that were far away, and I could heal injuries faster."

Robin nodded, pleased that she trusted him with this information.

"I had my suspicions Serena. Your medical records gave away how fast you could heal."

She smirked slightly and looked at him, a glimmer of amusement lighting up her eyes.

"Well, it's hard to be sneaky when you're young. Unless you've always been the ninja type?"

Her tone was light and joking, but inside she really was curious about the origins of Robin. I mean, she had grown up in Gotham so she knew about Batman and Robin, the dynamic duo of the city. However, what made him enter the life of crime fighting? Why was he all the way out in Jump City instead of out in Gotham? Looking at him now, she couldn't read what emotions he was feeling. The mask made any kind of eye reading impossible. Unless Robin WANTED you to know how he was feeling, you might never know otherwise. He offered up no details, except to smirk slightly.

"I suppose you could say that… Maybe when you've been part of the team for long enough I'll tell you more."

Now it was Robin who looked to see how Serena would react. The two caught each other's eyes and Serena looked away, a blush creeping up on her cheeks, before she replied.

"What are you saying? Do you mean that I'm a Teen Titan?"

Her voice was uncertain, but had a small amount of hope in it that Robin hadn't heard in a long time. He nodded and chuckled a bit.

"Ya. I was talking with the team before I heard you up here, and they think you'd be a great addition to the Titans after that fight with Plasmus. What do you say?"

For just a moment, she looked overwhelmed with the offer. Serena knew how much trust and expectations the Titans had for her since they were offering her a spot on the team. She wondered what she had done to earn such an offer since she hadn't expected her trial to go so well. Regardless she rose and stuck out her hand to the young hero beside her.

"Robin, I accept your offer. I won't let you guys, or Jump City, down."

Robin took her hand and firmly shook it, offering the newest Titan a smile.

"I'll hold you to that, Serena. Or should I call you Nightingale now?"

For a moment she looked puzzled, until a smile lit up her face as she remembered the previous day at the mall. There were multiple reasons that she had chosen Nightingale as her name. For one, she had a great costume idea for it. A cheesy reason, but Serena couldn't possibly care less. Her second reason was what it represented to her. The Common Nightingale is known as a bird of poets, and the song of the Nightingale is often described as one of lament. Serena often felt like lamenting over her life as a whole, but pride wouldn't allow it. But the biggest reason she felt drawn to the Nightingale was how poets interpreted the bird. At times it was mourning over lost love, while others saw it as cloaked in shadow; a spy for men. Still others found the Nightingale as a temptress, using its beautiful song to lure others in.

Serena had been a temptress, and she had been a spy. She felt close to this mystery bird. No one knew what a Nightingale truly was, and no one truly knew who Serena was. To the Titans she was a runaway former apprentice, only seeing glimpses of her inner emotions. And so, Nightingale was born.

She told Robin nothing of these thoughts; instead all she did was turn and start walking down the stairs.

"Nightingale it is. I'm starving! Let's go eat with everyone else."

Robin did not agree, not yet. He grabbed hold of Serena's arm and steered her towards Terra's old room. Serena didn't try to resist, and contented herself with giving him a confused look.

"What are you doing, Robin? I know I'm staying in this hall and all, but the kitchen is the other way."

"You'll see. Just trust me."

Protests of hunger died on Serena's lips, and she grew more curious than anything. Robin seemed amused at her sudden silence, and eager to get her back to her room if his speed said anything. Luckily for Serena's hungry stomach the walk was less than a minute, and the pair of Titans arrived at Terra's old room. The nameplate however was now changed to say "Nightingale." She widened her eyes as she stared at her new name in writing, until Robin opened the door. An even bigger surprise met the newly named Nightingale inside. Starfire and Cyborg were busy painting the ceiling a deep midnight blue color. Beast Boy was busy over the area where the bed used to be, painting what looked to be a full moon. There were no stars on the ceiling, and there didn't seem to be any paint to match them, but Nightingale didn't care. She always loved starless nights, especially when the moon was glowing brightly. As for the walls, Raven was using her powers to get all the painting done quickly, and neatly. Adorning the walls were trees. Some were so tall that only their trunks were showing, while others were far enough "back" so to speak that the whole tree was visible. The colors were dark and earthy, exactly the kind Nightingale adored. The walls almost seemed real, particularly with the added shadows of the trees. It was the perfect stealth environment too, and Nightingale was quick to appreciate the realistic detail.

Overall, she was delighted, and extremely shocked at the effort they were going to make her feel at home. Nightingale turned to Robin, who was watching her reaction with an amused smirk on his face.

"So? What do you think?"

Nightingale took another look around the room and grinned.

"I think you guys are far too nice. It's an amazing room! Now all I need is a costume to go with it…"

She got a scheming look in her eye and ran out of the room, dragging Robin by the arm.

"Do the Titans get complementary stuff from the craft store?"

Robin nodded his head slightly.

"Ya, but I don't want you leaving the tower alone, Nightingale. You're still being targeted by Slade as far as we know, and it's too dangerous for you to go anywhere alone."

Nightingale huffed slightly and put her hands on her hips.

"I'm not some civilian needing protection. I've got my bow and arrows, and I've got my martial arts. I'm not THAT easy to take down. Besides, Slade cheated last time."

It was a juvenile remark, Nightingale knew, but she wanted to be treated as an equal instead of someone who needed protecting every moment of the day. Robin, however, wasn't budging, which was made clear as he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.

"Sorry Nightingale, but here's your first order from me. You are not to leave the tower without another Titan. The team trusted you enough to make you one of us, don't make them regret it by going off and disobeying orders on your first morning."

The dark-haired girl frowned at the ground.

"Ok fine, you win. If someone has to go with me, I'm taking you right now. I need some supplies, because there is no way I'm fighting in jeans and a silk shirt."

Nightingale grabbed his arm and dragged him to the garage. The two mounted Robin's R-cycle and took off for the crafts store in Jump City.

_***Scene break***_

Nightingale felt like she was in heaven. Everywhere she looked were fabrics of all colors and shades. The materials widely varied, from flannel to polyester. Robin had offered to stay outside with the R-cycle to make sure no one connected Serena as the newly named Nightingale. The last thing they wanted to do was expose her identity on the first day. She couldn't help but smirk, wondering if Robin expected her to be swift in her choices. Roaming through aisle after aisle, Nightingale finally had her heart set on black polyester. After informing the cashier that she had permission from the Titans to pick up some fabric and sewing equipment for uniforms, she went out of the door and hefted her purchases on the cycle. Robin eyed her in shock, his mouth forming a small 'o' as he took in the sheer amount of fabric.

"What did you do; clear out their whole stock of black fabric?"

The newest Titan chuckled slightly.

"Nearly, but for what I have in mind it will take a lot of work."

"What exactly is it that you have in mind?"

"You'll see soon enough. If I have to stay up all night to finish my new look, I will."

Robin shook his head and handed her a helmet, which she took gratefully. Once the pair was positive that everything was secure they left for the tower. The return journey didn't take long, and soon enough Nightingale was back in the common room, her supplies in tow. As far as she knew, the other titans were still working on her room, and the paint still had to dry. So for now, she accepted the quiet atmosphere of the common room and got to work.

The hardest part about her project was measuring herself. As she stretched the measuring tape towards her shoulder, she heard the door open. She turned around and dropped the tape, ready for a fight, only to see that Beast Boy had entered the room. Nightingale blushed deeply, embarrassed at how tense she was. Beast Boy just laughed.

"Am I really that good at startling you? You're tenser than Robin is. What are you up to?"

Nightingale shrugged and pointed at the tape measurer and various fabrics.

"New name means I need a new look. I'm just measuring myself so I can get the proper length of everything. It's not the easiest job in the world."

She frowned at that last part, wondering why she didn't ask Starfire or Raven to help her out. Both of the girls probably knew how to sew better than she did, or they could at least help with the measuring. To her surprise, Beast Boy walked over and plopped down on the couch where all her inventory was.

"Do you want some help? I'm sure the others can survive without my comic genius for a while."

He flashed a toothy grin and she laughed.

"Alright sure, but I hope you don't mind my mutterings; my mom taught me to sew, but I never had the chance to practice."

So Beast Boy set to work. After the measurements were done, Nightingale expected him to leave, but he stayed on the same place on the couch, chatting with her. She felt glad for his presence and joking manner, and he soon had her laughing so hard that her stomach hurt. As she sewed on an arm to the torso, Beast Boy stopped joking and looked at her in an unusually serious way.

"Hey Serena, do you really think I'm funny?"

She looked at the green teen and gave him a bemused look, caught off guard by the question.

"Of course I do Beast Boy; you're one of the funniest guys I've met in a long time. Why do you ask?"

He looked relieved at her answer, but quickly his ears drooped slightly as he answered her question.

"Well, sometimes I think that I'm nothing but a bother to the team, y'know? The only person who has really laughed at my jokes is Starfire, but she finds lots of things funny."

Nightingale frowned at his tone. It was sad, with a hint of confusion. His voice almost seemed to be asking why most of the Titans didn't find him funny. This concerned her greatly, for Beast Boy was almost always the most outgoing and bubbly of the team, second only to Starfire. She gently set down her nearly finished costume and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Do you think you're funny, Beast Boy?"

He looked almost insulted by the question, and he indignantly replied.

"Of course I do! I'm the funniest guy I know!"

She chuckled slightly and smiled.

"Then why does it matter what anyone else thinks? If your jokes make you happy, then keep telling them! And if you ever need someone to tell jokes to, just come to me."

She could see Beast Boy perk up at her offer and he smiled at her again.

"Thanks Serena. That means a lot."

Nightingale had begun her little sewing project again, and was putting the finishing touches on it. She pulled her new mask on, and looked at Beast Boy. Her voice was slightly muffled as she replied.

"Actually, it's Nightingale now. Stay right here while I go try this on"

She barely waited for an affirmative before rushing off to the nearest restroom. When she caught sight of herself in the mirror after changing into her costume, she couldn't help but crack a grin. She looked good in her new outfit; REALLY good. It hugged her curves in the right places, and she hadn't done a half bad job at the sewing. She rushed back in the common room, and Beast Boy turned as he heard her enter.

"Whoa…"

Nightingale watched as he took in every inch of the costume. It was all black, save for a golden Nightingale on her collarbone. The way she stitched the costume made it look like scale mail, and gave it a hard look, even though it was nothing but fabric. Her mask covered her whole face and was veiled in a black hood that was secured at the collarbone by two golden buttons that matched the Nightingale crest. Her arms had long sleeves that ended in bracers and fingerless gloves. The whole upper half looked like a tunic, and it draped down to just above her knees. Her legs had black tights on, but her boots went to just below her knees and were also black, with shining golden buckles on it.

Beast Boy hadn't uttered another word and Nightingale couldn't help but laugh.

"You see something you like, BB?"

This snapped the green teen out of his stupor, and he flashed her a grin.

"Your costume is AWESOME! Come on let's show the team!"

He grabbed her arm and half-dragged her towards where her room was. Inside the other Titans were just cleaning up, but they all turned as Beast Boy came crashing in with Nightingale on his tail. Robin's eyes widened, Raven silently nodded in approval, Cyborg gave her the thumbs up and a huge smile, and Starfire came rushing over.

"Oh Serena! Your new costume is most wonderful!"

Nightingale couldn't help but blush with all the attention.

"Thanks Star, Beast Boy helped me out with it."

Now it was his turn to blush as he received such incredulous stares.

"Hey, I only helped with the measuring!"

"You also made sure that the sewing didn't make me lose my temper. You think Plasmus is bad? Nothing cools me off once my temper gets going."

She laughed, and Beast Boy cracked a grin. Before there could be anymore celebrating, however, the alarm went off.

_**Ah cliffhangers xD I'm sorry, but I just love them. They make a story more interesting. Any guesses as to which troublemaker it might be? ;) Also, if you can't quite get a helpful visual on Nightingale's new costume, just Google "skyrim Nightingale costume" and you shall see what I was thinking of when I was thinking of how her costume should look. Also, just a heads up, this is the last chapter that I have fully completed :o updates probably won't come daily any more (I'm sorry!) but more like every few days since, obviously, I need time to write each subsequent chapter.**_

_**Now that that's out of the way... it's MAILBAG TIME!**_

_**LilLilGirl**_

_Oooohhh suspense.. Plzzzzz update soooon, and thats fine Terra dont gotta be in i was just thinkin about her at that moment lol anyway i luv reading this story, every chapter u write better and better and I luv watchin ( more like reading ) u grow as an author :D_

**_Well here is that update quick as can be :D I'm glad you enjoy the story so much! An author can only grow with support, and I'm glad you can be here to help me with that._**

**_Folasade_**

_Aww, thanks for the cookies, they were awesome. Speaking of awesome, you story's great as usual! I can't wait to find out who the mystery person is (although I think I have an idea as to who it is)!_

**_Always happy to provide cookies to those who take the time to leave a review :D And thank you for chugging along with me as I put chapters up! If you guessed Slade as the mystery person, you were correct ;)_**

**_I3dragons_**

_type it now...or else_

**_Oh my o_o I'm not eager to find out what the "or else" part is, so here's your next chapter xDD_**


	13. Chapter 12

_**I do not own Teen Titans! Only my OC, Quiver/Serena/Nightingale, belongs to me!**_

_**Chapter 12**_

Red light pulsed through the tower and the alarm was loud enough to give Nightingale a slight headache. Frowning at her first real taste of how the Titans detected danger, she moved out of the way of the door as the rest of the Titans burst into the hallway. Beast Boy chased after them and turned around to beckon her with him. Sprinting, she managed to catch up to him just as he was entering the common room. Robin was busy on the computer, and before long an image popped up on the screen. At first, the screen showed nothing. Only a bank vault was visible; it's large metal door securely locked in place. For a moment, Nightingale relaxed, thinking it was just a false alarm. All was quiet and the bank was secure; no problem. However that peace was shattered, as a figure seemed to materialize from thin air. From behind, Nightingale saw Robin's shoulders tense up and Beast Boy gave an irritated groan.

"What? Who is it?"

Quiz Nightingale about the villains of Jump City and she probably could've named them all. Ask them about their powers, and she could do reasonably well. However the man on the screen in front of her was an unknown. His outfit was black from head to toe, except for the white skill-like mask and the red 'x' that adorned it. His chest also had a red 'x' going across it. Even though he was supposedly a villain, Nightingale could admire the sleek costume and the calm demeanor the villain was portraying. To Nightingale's annoyance, none of the Titans had answered her question, until Robin growled a single name.

"Red-X. He hasn't been around for a while."

To Nightingale, Robin seemed more irate than normal, which was saying a lot judging from Starfire's stories of him researching for days straight. She tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for them to do something. When they didn't move for another few seconds, Nightingale lost her patience.

"So what are we waiting for?! Let's go get him!"

Without waiting for an answer, she whirled around and headed for the door; somewhat surprised to hear the other Titans rapidly following suit. Robin rushed to give orders.

"Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy, you three will fly ahead of us and keep an eye out for X on the way to the bank. Cyborg, follow them in the T-car. Nightingale, you're with me on the R-cycle. We should all arrive at the bank at the same time. The sooner we apprehend X, the sooner we can get the suit back."

All the Titans agreed wordlessly and immediately jumped into action. Within minutes, two vehicles were screeching away from the Tower while the three airborne Titans flew ahead as directed. Halfway to the bank, Nightingale groaned in dismay, and Robin turned to look at her slightly.

"What is it?"

"In the haste to get out of the tower I forgot my weapons. I'll have to rely on hand-to-hand against this Red-X character. By the way, what did you mean when you said 'the sooner we can get the suit back.' Did you have it before?"

"So I guess our mutual friend didn't tell you about Red-X, did he?"

Nightingale didn't have to be a genius to figure out that Robin meant Slade.

"No. He never mentioned a 'Red-X' to me. He only went over the more primary villains of the city, and delved into detail with his close associates with me. I take it Red-X doesn't really classify as either?"

Robin had turned to face the road, so Nightingale didn't see the troubled frown that was playing across his features.

"Let's just say that I know Red-X better than most people."

He left it at that, but Quiver refused to let him off of the hook that easily.

"Come on now, Boy Wonder, you can't pull that mysterious bullshit on me. I like cold, hard facts. Besides I'm bound to find out sooner or later from one of the others."

She expected to get her way when she brought up getting the information from a second-hand source, but instead he only smiled wider.

"Then get the information from them. It doesn't matter to me. Right now all that matters is taking him down."

Nightingale raised an eyebrow curiously, surprised that her passive threat didn't work. It had been easy to worm Cyborg out of some information, so she figured Robin couldn't be too much harder to crack. She supposed that she was wrong. Nightingale didn't have much time to comprehend her lack of information though, because the bank soon came into view. Robin slowed to a stop, and the T-car was quick to do the same. Starfire and Raven gracefully landed on the ground in front of the bank, powers at the ready, and Beast Boy changed from a hawk to a human. Robin and Nightingale took off their helmets and joined Cyborg as he got out of the T-car. Together, the three Titans charged in the front of the bank.

To Nightingale's surprise, Red-X was just leaning against the far right wall relaxing, as if he wasn't committing a crime and was only an innocent bystander. He looked up at the Titans and lazily looked at them each in turn. When he got to Nightingale, he made no attempt at hiding his gaze as he looked up and down her body. She crossed her arms and took an aggressive step forward.

"Keep looking at me like I'm a piece of meat and I'll break your nose."

Red-X laughed and mirrored her crossed arms.

"Me-OW. I thought Starfire was cute when she got angry, but you make angry look sexy. After I get away again I'd love to take you out on a date, Cupcake."

Strangely enough, Nightingale didn't know whether to be angry or flattered. He spoke with such a cocky tone, but he was obviously used to flirting with women. Shaking out of her confusion she rushed Red-X.

"Nightingale! Wait!"

The newest Titan ignored Robin and raced towards X. He stood still, not caring, until he phased away and behind her. As Nightingale swung her fist through empty air, X grabbed her other arm and swung her to him, using her body as a kind of shield.

"She's got quite a lot of spunk, Robin. You sure you can handle her?"

Before Robin could even respond, Nightingale got loose and grabbed Red-X's right arm, and flipped him over her back to slam him on the floor. He rolled back and tried to kick her in the jaw, but she released him and did a neat hand spring backwards. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she leapt forward and caught him on the side of his jaw with a right hook. X took a few dazed steps backward and then launched his own attack, swiping at Nightingale with his legs and his fists. She neatly dodged each hit, until he finally managed to kick her in the stomach. The force sent her flying into a cubicle, and the flimsy walls toppled into another cubicle. Almost immediately, Red-X was coming at her again, and she rushed to mount a half-decent defense while she was prone, but it turned out to be unnecessary as a starbolt hit Red-X in the side and sent him flying into a different cubicle.

"Titans! Go!"

At Robin's command, the other four Titans leapt to support Nightingale. Raven began chanting her mantra, and Red-X went for his utility belt.

"Haven't we been over this, Raven? You never seem to learn."

However, his hands felt empty air. His belt was gone. Looking around, his eyes fell on Nightingale, who had emerged from the cluttered remains of the cubicle. She gave a satisfied little wave and held his belt up in the other hand.

"Missing something, _cutie?_"

The last word was highly exaggerated and obviously sarcastic, and he couldn't help but admire her excellent pickpocket skills. However, he also realized that his arsenal against the Titans was down to nothing.

"Well since Cupcake over there took away all of my toys, I'm afraid I'll have to bid you all farewell. Until next time, Titans."

And just like that he clicked the teleportation button on his suit and was gone. Nightingale walked over to the gathering Titans and stood next to Beast Boy. The green teen flashed her a grin of victory.

"Dude, I think that's the first time Red-X hasn't slimed me when we fought! Way to go, Nightingale!"

The newest Titan was thankful for her mask as she blushed a pale pink color. X may have been a good fighter, but attentive he was not. His belt had been an easy target. Not everyone in the group was happy though. Robin pinched the bridge of his noise and Raven looked at Nightingale and shook her head slightly, her violet eyes never blinking.

"Nightingale… remember this morning when I said not to regret making you a part of this team? It's really hard not to regret it right now. When I give an order, I expect it to be followed to the letter. Red-X is not someone to take lightly."

Nightingale looked at him, once again grateful for the mask she had made. Irritation was written all across her face, so she casually leaned against a support pole with her arms crossed. The belt was still in her hands.

"I wasn't going to stand bye and let him check me out all day, and besides, I stopped him from robbing the place AND roughing you guys up. Don't I at least get credit for getting the belt?"

While no one could read her expression, it was quite easy to read what she felt from her tone. Irritation and disbelief laced her words like a poison, planting seeds of doubt within her mind. Regardless, she tossed the belt to Cyborg (who caught it) and turned to leave the bank. Anger boiled in her veins at how Robin seemed to hesitate at everything, and how he treated her like she needed someone to protect her. She didn't need anybody, and hadn't needed them for years. So she ended up running across the street and jumping her way up a building, using whatever handholds she could see to pull her up. Once at the top, she vanished from the view of the Titans. Sighing, Robin turned to his team.

"Cyborg, get back to the tower and secure that belt in a place that X can't get to. I'll go after Nightingale. Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy, patrol around the city and see if you can spot X. If you do, call the rest of us. Even though we have his belt, he's still dangerous."

Everyone nodded at the orders and quickly dispersed, except for Beast Boy.

"Uh dude? Maybe I should be the one to go after Nightingale. Who knows what could happen if you try to order her around more."

"She needs to learn to respect that I'm in charge, Beast Boy."

"I realize that, Robin, but just give me a chance to talk to her. Don't forget that she just stopped being a criminal. She probably just wants to prove to us that she can be a hero."

Robin sighed in an indecisive manner and ran his hands through his spiky black hair.

"Ok Beast Boy, you can go talk to her. If she doesn't understand how the team works afterwards, however, I'll have to talk to her myself."

The changeling nodded and took the form of a hawk to go and search for his unstable friend.

_***Scene break***_

It was slightly difficult to find Nightingale. When he did find her, she was on top of the spire where Beast Boy and Starfire had first convinced her to come back to the tower after the confrontation with Slade. It was around sunset and the sun was giving off a few last rays on the city. The ocean glittered brightly in the dying sun's rays, and in the distance, Titan's Tower loomed as a protective shadow for the city of Jump. Nightingale had her mask off, and from what Beast Boy could see, it was in a bulging pocket in her belt. Beast Boy thought he had reverted to human form quietly, but without turning, Nightingale acknowledged him.

"Beast Boy. For a second I thought you were Robin. He should be glad he didn't come along."

The green teen sat next to her, hanging his legs over the edge.

"Why is that?"

The ebony Titan's face didn't change and she didn't look at Beast Boy.

"Well I probably would have tied him up and left him here on the spire."

Beast Boy couldn't tell if she was joking or not. Her face seemed calm and serene, and her tone was pretty much emotionless. He wondered how she could distance herself so well from her emotions. He had seen Nightingale when happy. He had also seen her when she was angry or miffed. However he had never encountered her as an emotionless vessel before.

Cautiously, he went to lay a hand on her left shoulder. At his touch, Nightingale finally looked at him. To his shock, her sage eyes, which normally burned with a determined fire, were glassed over by unshed tears. Nightingale pulled out her mask and slipped it over her head, hiding her face and whatever emotions she might have been portraying. Beast Boy recovered quickly from his shock.

"Nightingale... What's wrong? Was it what Robin said?"

She shook her head, mumbling her reply, which Beast Boy barely picked up with his enhanced hearing.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm fine."

Beast Boy gave her a disbelieving look, but then softened his look as he looked upon her hidden face. It was obvious that she was hurting, but what could be the cause? The incident at the bank had been a small mistake, and she had gotten a hold of Red-X's belt. Honestly, it could've been much worse. Keeping this is mind, he attempted to comfort the archer.

"Hey, it's ok. When we usually fight Red-X he goops up my hair and takes us out pretty quickly. I'm sure Robin will relent."

Nightingale gave a bitter laugh and then sighed.

"Oh Beast Boy… I gave up on pleasing people a long time ago. It makes me happy when people approve of my actions, but I don't go out of my way to please them. I don't regret confronting Red-X. I did what I wanted to, and ended up doing something positive. My problem is that no matter how hard I try, I'm never good enough."

Beast Boy scratched his head at that last part.

"But I thought you just said that you DIDN'T try to please people."

Nightingale shot a look at him, but with the mask on he couldn't tell what it meant.

"I don't. I merely try to PROVE to people that I'm good enough. There is a profound difference between aiming to please people and aiming to prove something to them."

The changeling still looked confused, as evident by the blank look on his face. Nightingale gave a patient sigh and turned more towards him.

"When I fight, I fight like there's nothing left to lose. I will use every trick in the book to win. I'll fight dirty if I have to, just to prove to myself and to others that I can. Does it make people happy? Most of the time it doesn't, but I don't care if they're pleased with my methods or not. As long as I get the job done that's all that matters to me. Robin is a hero who fights with honor. However I can guarantee that the villains of Jump City aren't going to care about honor. They'll try to take what they want by any means necessary. I want to be able to stop them by any means necessary. However if Robin doesn't like my methods…"

She sighed and looked away, unable to complete the sentence. Beast Boy blinked, trying to puzzle out what that meant. Giving up, he figured he'd get a more direct answer if he just asked.

"What will happen if you have a falling out with Robin over your methods, Serena?"

Nightingale could tell that Beast Boy had grown dead serious when he used her first name. She considered lying, but quickly decided against it. Beas Boy was turning out to be one of her closest friends in the Titans besides Starfire. No, Beast Boy deserved to know the truth.

"Well… If Robin doesn't like it when I follow my methods or instincts, I might just have to leave the Titans. Be a solo hero for Jump or some other city. I don't want it to come to that though, BB. I'd really miss you and Star…"

She dropped her head in her hands and Beast Boy once again put a comforting hand on her shoulder, feeling the silent sobs that reverberated through her body. Nightingale, he knew, was a proud young woman. She hated appearing weak in front of everybody, and Cyborg had told him that she tried to play down her illness yesterday.

Shadows began to grow longer as the sun went down further, and Nightingale had finally gotten what she thought was a decent hold on her emotions. Beast Boy didn't leave her side the entire time, and for that she was grateful. He stretched his legs out slightly since they were cramped and turned to Nightingale.

"So are we planning to go back to the tower soon? It's getting dark."

The green-eyed girl shook her head.

"I don't think I feel like I could face down the team yet, especially Robin. You can go on back to the tower, but I'll stay here for the night."

Beast Boy gave her a grin and tucked his knees up against his chin.

"I'm staying if you're staying. Remember Robin's orders? You have to have one other Titan with you outside of the tower for the time being."

He watched Nightingale tense up and whirl on him, but before she could get a word in, he spoke again.

"Plus, I WANT to stay with you."

That seemed to shut her down. He couldn't see it, but a blush was creeping up on her cheeks and she blinked a few times.

"You… you WANT to stay out in the cold with me? Why?"

Her tone was surprised and curious instead of aggressive like she had shown earlier. He gave her a toothy grin and shuffled to where he was out of the wind.

"Well, you're one of my best friends now, Nightingale. Now that you're one of us, I don't want anything to happen to you."

She shuffled back with him, and in silence the pair looked out as the sun sunk lower and lower until it finally disappeared behind the horizon. Stars twinkled in the sky and a crescent moon floated above. Nightingale placed her head on Beast Boy's surprisingly strong shoulder and looked up at him.

"Hey, Beast Boy?"

"Ya?"

"Thanks."

_**I think that was one of my favorite endings to a chapter yet ;-; They are fun to write together. It's nice to write Beast Boy as a more mature guy than he is often portrayed in the show. He can be serious when he wants to be! **_

_**Folasade**_

_Ha! I knew it was Slade! Anyway, great story. I love Nightingale's outfit! I looked it up and it's awesome! I'm looking forward to the next chapter! Thanks!_

_**Ya, Slade just loooves to mess with Nightingale :P I thought that Serena would be the perfect fit for the Nightingale outfit from Skyrim because she reminds me of Karliah somewhat, insofar as she'll do whatever it takes to get things done.**_

_**LilLilGirl**_

_Awwww ( said this for two reasons ) 1: BBXQuiv- i mean Nightingale is SUCH a good couple 2: why r u not gonna update everyday anymore? Lol anyway i am rly hatin Slade right now he is annoying he needs to like die.. Like now, this instant.._

_**Yes I'm loving the pair; they really do go well, and writing for them is so fun! And I won't be able to update everyday because I need time to write more chapters ;) This one I blazed through today because inspiration struck me, but it may take me a couple days to get 13 done. Slade will have to stick around though, because he is both my favorite villain, and I have a crazy twist idea for him :P TEASER!**_

_**Equanox**_

_I can't wait, you're too good at this!_

_**Have no fear! No more waiting :D Thank you so much for the compliment!**_


	14. Chapter 13

_**Teen Titans does not belong to me! Only my OC, Quiver/Serena/Nightingale does!**_

_**Chapter 13**_

Despite being in the company of Beast Boy, Nightingale still dreamed.

_No longer a little girl, Nightingale found herself in her childhood home. Her room was the same as it had been when she left it. Her bow was still above her bed, her closet remained closed, and the musical lullaby was still floating in the air. Everything was peaceful, just as it had been the night she had met, and become apprenticed to Slade. For a second, Nightingale thought that the past four years had been just a horrible dream. It was only a second though, which was briefly ended as Nightingale realized that her house was on fire once again. Flames licked at her curtains and devoured her sheets, hungrily spreading to whatever they could. Screaming in terror, Nightingale made a break for the window, but to her horror, the ground below was covered in Slade-bots. Turning from the window, she ran for her door. Flames made a wall in front, but she steeled herself and threw all of her strength into breaking it down. The door slammed open, the hinges shrieking in pain, and then Nightingale took off down the hallway. She was hoping to make a break for the front door, until she passed her mother's room. __**I can still save her! They are no bots in the house! **__With this thought in mind, Nightingale opened the door and swept into the room. Under the bed, in the closet, and in the bathroom, Nightingale searched every hiding place she could find, but found no trace of her mother. With fear for her mother choking her, she sprinted for her brother's room._

_ Between the roars of the fire, Nightingale could swear she could hear her brother crying, but his room was also vacant. Strangely enough, the house was keeping its integrity. There were no creaks of a house ready to implode, only the predatory snarls of the fire along the walls and floors. As quick as she could, Nightingale checked every room she could, including the basement. Rage started to burn in her, and reached a boiling point that rivaled the heat of the fire. What kind of warrior was she if she couldn't protect her own family? Now Nightingale sprinted to the backyard, and stopped short at what she saw. Her mother and brother were on their knees at Slade's feet, trembling in fear. Slade bots covered every entrance and exit, and Nightingale immediately got tunnel vision with Slade. He was the one who destroyed her home. He was the one who destroyed her life. He was going to pay for what he had done. However before she could make a move, Slade spoke._

_**"**__Quiver. You tried so hard to save your family.__**"**_

_** "**__I didn't try, Slade. I'm GOING to save them. I will never give up."_

_ He nodded to two of his bots and they came over to him, laser pistols aimed at her small family._

_ "How does it feel to know that you've failed them yet again?"_

_ And with that, the two slade-bots shot two shots, one for each head._

It was with this that Nightingale woke up. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her heart pounded in terror. Beast Boy was still sleeping beside her, and for that she was grateful. Crying was a weakness, and one she needed to shake quickly. Missing her family was ok, but crying for them revealed a soft spot ripe for exploitation. Nightingale didn't know if Slade noticed how much she grieved for her family, but with his resources, he probably did.

Gently, so as not to disturb Beast Boy, Nightingale stood and walked to the edge of the spire. The sun was rising over Jump City and a cool breeze blew over her face. Her mask was still on, but she still felt the coolness of it. She was so focused on her thoughts that she didn't hear the footsteps behind her, only felt the hands that went over her eyes. Being as jumpy as she was, Nightingale grabbed one of the offending hands and flipped him over onto the spire floor. To her surprise, the face staring back up at her was Beast Boy. Embarrassment crept up on her cheeks and dropped down on her knees.

"Beast Boy! Oh my god I am so sorry! You caught me off guard. Are you ok?"

He flashed her one of his signature grins and got up, not bothering to brush off some of the gravel that had gotten caught on his uniform.

"No worries, I've been hit a lot harder than that. What were you thinking about?"

Instantly, Nightingale backed away a bit and crossed her arms, looking away from his smiling face. Anyone could feel the air get instantly tenser.

"Nothing important, Beast Boy, just my empty stomach. Want to go sit down at a breakfast place?"

Nightingale watched his face go from happy to a soft concern as he walked over and took her hand in his own. She felt her face grow red and she stared stupidly at their hands. Beast Boy couldn't see her surprised face, or the blush that had crept up on her cheeks. He didn't mind her gaze however, and spoke soothingly.

"Serena, whatever it is that's wrong, you can tell me. I made a promise to Terra once that I would never tell the team that her powers were out of control. I kept that promise, and I'll make the same promise now. I will not tell the team anything that you tell me. What you say will stay between us, ok?"

Nightingale was silent for a second.

"Beast Boy, can I ask you a question? Why do you want to help me?"

To her further surprise, his gaze never left hers.

"I want to help because you're my friend."

Nightingale didn't know what to say to that. It actually took several seconds for her to formulate a cautious response.

"Do you promise not to tell them anything? I don't need anyone to worry about me."

Beast Boy's face was deadly earnest.

"I swear I won't tell."

That was all Nightingale needed to be reassured. She recounted her dream from the previous night in vivid detail. By the end of her telling, she was finding it hard to hold back tears. Her mask was still on, but by the end of it, she had to take it off to prevent from ruining it. When Beast Boy saw this, he pulled her into a hug.

"Hey, it's ok, it's ok… We're going to make sure that Slade can't do anything else to hurt you or the city. That's why you're a Titan; you want to help save people."

She laughed bitterly, her eyes red.

"How can I save other people if I couldn't keep my own family safe?"

"Serena, you are more skilled than you were four years ago. You can do more to keep people safe. Even if you can't save your family now, fight to make sure that doesn't happen to anyone else in the city."

Nightingale sniffed a bit and wiped her eyes, offering Beast Boy a grateful smile.

"You're right, I need to stop being so pathetic. I've got a new home now, and people who want to help me. Should we go back to the tower?"

Beast Boy's eyes went wide with indignation.

"Are you kidding?!" Let's just have a day off. Like a stay-cation since Robin doesn't let us go on vacations. We can go out to breakfast and go to the carnival!"

Nightingale smiled shyly at his offer, but bravely responded.

"Are you asking me out on a date, Beast Boy?"

She had never seen the green teen go so red before, and laughed at his lack of response.

"Well if you are, I accept. Let's go!"

Nightingale grabbed a speechless Beast Boy and took off for the nearest elevator. It was on the ride down that Beast Boy finally managed a response.

"So uh… ya… about earlier… I suppose that I was asking you out, yes."

He stuttered and put a nervous hand behind his head and tried his best not to look at Nightingale. She squeezed his hand in reassurance.

"No need to be nervous. I DO like you you know."

"You-you do?"

The ebony-clad Titan graced him with an amused look.

"Sure. You're funny, sweet, and brave. What's not to like? Plus, the pointed ears are quite a feature."

Beast Boy perked up and laughed.

"Ha! I KNEW chicks dug the ears!"

This sent them both into a fit of laughter, ending only when they reached the ground floor. Now it was Beast Boy's turn to grab Nightingale's hand. The two Titans ran for the first breakfast place they could find. Luckily, it had both a vegetarian and a meat-lover's menu, so the pair were able to get what they wanted. As Nightingale was munching on some bacon, Beast Boy couldn't help but try to convert her to the side of the vegetarians.

"I'm just saying, I've been most of the animals that you eat!"

"That doesn't change the fact that they're absolutely delicious! Have you ever had barbeque chicken? It's amazing. Steak is great too, and don't even get me started on pork."

The horrified look on BB's face sent Nightingale into a gale of laughter. Over the rest of breakfast, the two asked each other questions and got to know each other even better. By the time they left the breakfast joint, any hint of unease between them was gone. Just as Beast Boy had suggested earlier, they headed for the carnival. Though it wasn't dark in the least (it was only around ten in the morning) the sounds and lights of the carnival were obvious in the distance. The terrified and excited screams of children floated throughout the park, and the couple took their time strolling through the booths.

At one point Nightingale saw a booth that focused on archery. A bubble of excitement caught her, and her eyes got a determined glint in them. She practically grabbed Beast Boy over to the booth so she could try her hand. Target after target, Nightingale nailed them all. In fact by the time she had finished all her tries, the booth keeper had not so kindly asked them to leave so other people could have a try. Laughing, Nightingale handed her hard won prize to Beast Boy. It was a Pterodactyl toy, and it was gray with black beads for eyes. He took it and gave her a quizzical look.

"What's this for? I mean I like it, it's a cool dinosaur, but why give it to ME?"

A small grin had split her face; Nightingale hadn't put her mask on since this morning, and already people had come up asking who she was and why she was with Beast Boy of the Teen Titans.

"It's kind of a thank you. For this morning I mean. It was nice of you to listen to me. I haven't trusted anyone to understand what I've been feeling, and that includes myself. I suppose though, that sometimes the power to understand isn't as important as the power to listen."

Beast Boy nodded along.

"Well I'm glad I could help."

A comfortable silence fell between them after that, which was only broken when they walked by a roller coaster. Nightingale grinned at Beast Boy and grabbed his arm.

"Let's ride!"

Not waiting for an affirmation, the newest Titan dragged Beast Boy into line. Surprisingly, the line went quickly; with the ten-minute wait being spent on swapping various stories from their childhoods, and the fights they had gotten into over the years. Little by little, Nightingale began to feel like she could tell Beast Boy anything without fear of being judged. She cracked more and more jokes, and told more and more stories about her younger self. Neither of them mentioned Slade the entire time. On the roller coaster, Nightingale whooped with joy and stuck her hands out high, relishing the feel of the wind and the speed of the coaster. If she weren't more of a realist, she would almost compare it to flying.

She could tell, however, that Beast Boy didn't like roller coasters. He looked sick the entire time, but he didn't say a word of complaint. For the rest of the day, Nightingale avoided roller coasters like the plague for him. The Ferris Wheel, however, was fair game. Instead of sitting in the box like normal, however, they climbed on top of it so they could have a better look at the sky. Nightingale sighed in content as sunset once again fell. Instead of sadness and despair like yesterday, she felt free and invincible.

"Beautiful, isn't it? When I was little, my mother used to take Cody and I to the beach once a week for a beach day. We'd stay out all day and only go home after we had watched the sunset. I used to think those days would last forever."

That melancholy tone returned, and Beast Boy turned to her in order to comfort her, but instead of a frown and tears, he saw a peaceful smile on her face. Her sage eyes were swimming in old memories, both good and bad, and he let her reflect.

"I told you earlier about Cody and I saving that lady outside the candy store? He always wanted to be a hero. I was content to stay indoors and read books, coming out to compete in archery, but I didn't have any close friends when I was younger. Cody was the social one. In fact I think you guys are the closest I've ever gotten to having friends. Isn't that sad?"

He didn't answer for a minute, but when he did the answer wasn't what she expected.

"That's not sad. So you were more of an introvert; I can understand that. I bet the others are happy to be your friend too."

She tucked her knees up to her chin and smiled, comforted by his answer.

"Beast Boy?"

"Hm?"

"I just want you to know, that I haven't had so much fun in a long time."

He looked at her, eyes shining.

"Really?"

"Really. And though I can be distant at times, and hot-headed at others, I'll always be here if you need me."

He leaned a bit closer to her, his hand sliding over hers.

"And I'll always be here if you need me. That's what friends are for, right?"

She leaned in closer as well, so close that their foreheads were almost touching.

"That, among other things…"

The pair leaned in closer, swept up in the moment. Time seemed slower and the carnival music grew quieter as their lips came closer and closer together. All of a sudden, Beast Boy's communicator went off. Nightingale and Beast Boy immediately jerked back from shock, the spell broken by the round device. Cursing under her breath, Nightingale watched as Beast Boy answered the communicator. It was close enough where she could hear the conversation.

"Beast Boy, where are you and Nightingale? We expected you back last night, and when you didn't answer your communicator we had to go looking for you ourselves."

"Sorry Robin, Nightingale and I got caught up, that's all. We're on our way back now."

"Good. See you soon."

Beast Boy sighed and put the communicator back on his belt and turned a sideways glance at Nightingale.

"Well you heard him, we better get back soon."

He was obviously disappointed, and Nightingale couldn't blame him. Robin had called at quite possibly the worst time ever; shattering the elation Nightingale had previously been feeling.

"Yes, I suppose you're right. He better not try to lecture me though. I don't like being treated like some naive little kid."

Beast Boy laughed, but got somber quickly.

"But Nightingale, please TRY and listen to his orders sometimes. I don't want you to leave the Titans."

Nightingale frowned slightly.

"I know, Beast Boy, I don't want to leave either, but I'm capable of taking care of myself. I don't need Robin giving me orders that he thinks will protect me. It's a waste of time."

"He only does it because he doesn't want you to get hurt."

"Beast Boy, I think that's only part of the reason. I think the other part is that he doesn't trust me just because I was with Slade for so long."

Nightingale didn't know why she thought that. Maybe it was because she had "known" Slade longer. Or maybe it was because she had tricked the Titans in the past. Maybe it was just Nightingale being paranoid.

"Serena, I know for a fact that he doesn't think that. Are you sure that you're not just mad because you don't have as much… er… operational freedom now?"

Beast Boy had a good point, and she knew it. Under Slade all he told her was a job he wanted done and she'd do it. He gave her no additional orders except for one: under no circumstances should she retreat. Beyond that, she did everything herself. Grumbling, she swung down the Ferris Wheel as she thought of a response. Beast Boy was already waiting at the bottom for her, having turned into a Hawk and flown down quickly.

"I suppose that's true. That doesn't mean I have to like it though."

"No, but you'll get used to it when you stay here longer."

She nodded in reply, and Beast Boy turned into a Pterodactyl. Picking Nightingale up gently in his talons, the new couple headed towards the tower. No, they headed towards home.

_**Another chapter for you all :D It's quite fluffy ^-^I hope you enjoyed! Now for the mailbag!**_

_**LilLilGirl**_

_Ya i know :(( the villians never die lol anyway as long as ur updates rnt tooo far apart then i guess its ok and i luved that chapter i LUV nightingales outfit and wen is nightingale and BB gonna have their first kiss, or at least realize they kinda like each other? Ugh i sound so girly :( hey can u do meh a favor and kill one of the minor villians fo meh? Or just have a happy go lucky chapter whichever u want :D_

_**I plan for updates to be a week apart tops, so if it's longer than that, any and all of you have the write to verbally chew me out VIA PM xD As for BB and Nightingale… I hope this chapter satisfied your desire somewhat!**_

_**Folasade**_

_I LOVE this chapter! Two reasons; 1) I found it funny how Red X had reacted to Nightingale and how she stole his belt and 2) the Beast Boy and Nightingale moment :). As usual, your chapters are great and don't fret about the longer update times. I'll still be here even if it takes a year ;D You know I have like three random questions. Well two questions one statement. 1) How tall is Nightingale compared to the others? Like, I know the height order is like Cyborg, Starfire, Robin, Raven, and Beast Boy, (from tallest to shortest) so where exactly would Nightingale stand in that scale? 2) I'm not sure if you've mentioned this in a chapter or not, but what is Nightingale's voice like? Is it sort of monotone-ish like Raven's or something, because that's how I've been imagining it, but I wanted to be sure. 3) Lastly (and then I'll leave you alone), can you imagine Nightingale meeting Speedy?! For some reason, I can just imagine it sometime in the future when Nightingale is meeting the Titans East and when she meets Speedy, they start talking about complicated archery stuff and what not and everyone else is just looking on with question marks and sweat drops above their heads. Really random right?! Just stuff that's been on my mind XD_

_**I plan on adding Red-X more in the future ;) He's such a flirt, it's comical xD Particularly since Nightingale wants nothing to do with him. BB x Nightingale is just so cute ^-^ He's going to get her to really lighten up I feel :) Now as for Nightingale, she is 5'8" tall, so I picture her a little less tall than Starfire, maybe around Robin's height. Her voice I picture being less cheerful than Starfire's, but not as flat as Raven's is. She's somewhere in between. Heh, maybe I'll have Speedy show up one time for kicks and giggles xD make BB jealous! Hahaha!**_


	15. Chapter 14

_**Teen Titans does not belong to me! Only my OC, Quiver/Serena/Nightingale does! The song featured in this chapter also does not belong to me, it was written by Jeff Williams**_

_**Chapter 14**_

The flight back to the tower was uneventful, but Nightingale savored it. She had never been in the sky before, save for when she was jumping off of buildings and such. The feel of flying was an addicting one; wind caressed her face and cooled her down, and the sounds of the city lessened until they negligible. All too soon the tower rushed upon them. Beast Boy gently set her down on the roof and landed beside her, going into human form as he did so. Nightingale smiled at him.

"Thanks for the ride, and for a great date. I had a lot of fun."

He took her hand and walked her towards the door on the roof. The team had been quick to replace it with a door made of Tungsten metal and a security lock, fearing another Slade infiltration. Nightingale was happy for the quick reaction, but couldn't help thinking that being slammed against the door would be painful, to put it lightly. Regardless, Beast Boy put in the security code and was about to walk down the stairs, when Nightingale pulled him back.

"Don't I get a goodnight kiss? We were so rudely interrupted earlier."

The green teen grinned and blushed, but nonetheless met Nightingale in their first kiss on top of the moonlit rooftop. After a few seconds, the couple pulled away from each other. Beast Boy was the first to react.

"That was worth waiting for. A great end to a great day. We should probably make sure Robin isn't pacing a hole in the floor."

Nightingale smirked, seeming rather amused at the idea, and followed him down the stairs. She was surprised at how familiar the creaking of the stairs felt to her; how safe the walls of the hallway felt. Passing by the room her father was staying in, she felt a pang of regret. She hadn't spent anytime with him since the day she rescued him. Of course there hadn't been time. Nightingale had fallen ill immediately afterwards, and then she had been called away the morning after that. Maybe she would take another day off and spend some time with her father. They had a lot to catch up on, after all. She resolved to talk to him about a father-daughter day tomorrow when he got up.

All thoughts of a happy, formal family reunion died though when she and Beast Boy entered the common room. The sight that greeted them was entirely expected, but certainly not welcome. Robin was like a caged predator. He would pace and stop continuously, fingers twitching. Starfire had convinced Raven to watch World of Fungus with her, and Cyborg was whipping up breakfast for dinner; omelets to be precise. The second the new couple entered the common room, Robin stopped pacing and stalked right over to them, taking no heed of their held hands.

"Where have you two been? We've been looking for you all day. We even had to ignore a robbery because we were so worried, especially for you, Nightingale. Slade already tried to kill you once; do you honestly think he'll stop after one failure?"

Nightingale felt her temper rising quickly. Here Robin was again, treating her like some stupid little kid. When she had first come to the tower, she had respected how the others followed him with no hesitation, and he seemed to know exactly the right thing to say. Ever since the battle with Slade on top of Wayne Industries, however, she had slowly begun losing respect for him. Opening her mouth for a biting retort, she felt a gentle squeeze on her hand. Beast Boy was calmly urging her to back down gracefully. Their conversation from earlier came back to her. Try and follow his orders; you'll get used to it. So, looking away, she allowed Beast Boy to smooth things over.

"Hey, chill out, Robin, ok? She was with me the whole time. I'm sure we could've taken Slade had he shown up. She's just as good at defending herself as you are after all."

Nightingale watched as she saw Robin raise an eyebrow curiously, and a scheming smirk came across his face.

"Ok Beast Boy, we'll see how good she is tomorrow. Training starts at nine; I hope you're ready, Nightingale."

She felt her jaw drop.

"No! Not tomorrow, I planned on spending the day with my dad… I haven't seen him in years…"

Robin stopped just outside the door and, for whatever reason, looked slightly panicked when he turned around to answer her. The panic was gone in an instant though, and was replaced by his usual poker face.

"Training is tomorrow at nine. Be there."

Beast Boy even looked slightly surprised at his answer, and turned to the others for an explanation. None of them bothered voicing an answer, for none of them had one. That is, except for Raven. She knew very well why Robin had avoided Nightingale's request. Why he didn't explain that her father had left was a mystery. Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, she went to follow him, motioning for Starfire to join her. If anyone could get Robin to set things straight, it was her. Personally, Raven was surprised that the two weren't an official couple yet. With all the deep talks and pure understanding that Starfire and Robin had for one another, she expected them to come together quickly.

"Raven, where are we going?"

Starfire had that innocent and curious look on her face that somehow managed to make her more endearing than she already was. Not stopping to look at her, Raven kept up her casual walking pace.

"We're going to talk to Robin.

Taking a glance sideways, Raven noticed Starfire brighten up more than usual at the prospect of talking to their longtime leader. How the two hadn't figured out the feelings of the other Raven didn't understand, but it was not her business to meddle in the romantic affairs of her friends. That did not stop her from worrying about Beast Boy's new relationship with Nightingale, however. Though she hadn't said anything, Raven had noticed the resentment from Nightingale growing each time Robin gave her an order. It was Nightingale's dislike of order that Raven feared would push her back to Slade, and leave Beast Boy with a broken heart yet again. She knew he hadn't recovered from Terra completely yet. Each time he passed her room his feelings would feed back to her: longing and sorrow both.

Raven had conflicting feelings about Terra. On one hand, she had sacrificed herself to save the city. What she wasn't sure of was if that made up her attempts to kill her family members and herself. If Nightingale turned out to be like Terra… Raven didn't know if she'd be able to restrain herself like she had with Terra.

Pushing away the dark thoughts that Terra always seemed to bring on, Raven knocked on Robin's door.

_***Scene break***_

"Thanks for the offer Beast Boy, but I'm tired and want to be alone right now."

Ignoring the surprised and slightly hurt look on his face, Nightingale left the game tournament in the common room and headed for her own space of Titan's Tower. The paint had long since dried and the materials had been moved. Her only civilian outfit was hanging in the closet, and Nightingale realized that she had no pajamas to sleep in. Frustrated now as well as exhausted, she sat on her bed and sighed. She loved spending time with Beast Boy, and really liked him too, but she couldn't help but like there was something off about them as a couple. He was sweet to her, and seemed to know just what she needed emotionally, but she just had a nagging thought that associating with her would hurt him.

But that kiss. She hadn't felt so free in a long time. In that moment it was like nothing could go wrong; it was just the two of them and all the time in the world. Would she- COULD she- give that up if it meant keeping him out of harm's way? It was an answer that proved painfully elusive to her.

Sighing in defeat, she lay back on her bed, facing the starless ceiling the Titans had painted for her. It was beautiful; just the kind of night Nightingale loved. She remembered when she was younger; there was a large tree next to her window. The branches were old but strong, and she would climb down the tree at night to run wild in the small woodland area behind her home. In winter there was usually snow on the ground, and on those nights Nightingale would sit in the tree and look at the sparkling expanse before her as the moon lit up the snow in an almost supernatural way.

Life was simple back then, and she missed it. Even when she had acquired her self-named Eagle Eye and healing abilities from the lake incident, she could still have a normal life. Now it was out of the question. Once you became the target for higher powers, there was no going back to normal.

The feelings of longing wouldn't go away, and she knew no one here would understand. They could try to, but all of the Titans seemed to feel like they belonged. Nightingale couldn't help feeling like she was forced into this life. Closing her eyes, she began to sing a song.

_Mirror, tell me something_

_Tell me who's the loneliest of all._

_Mirror, tell me something_

_Tell me who's the loneliest of all._

_Mirror, locked inside of me._

_Tell me can a heart be turned to stone?_

_Mirror, mirror what's behind you?_

_Save me from the things I see!_

_I can keep it from the world,_

_Why won't you let me hide from me?_

_Mirror, mirror tell me something._

_Who's the loneliest of all?_

_I'm the loneliest of all._

Her voice was soft as she sang, her inner turmoil and depression making itself known in every syllable of every word. With each verse her voice grew louder and stronger. Granted, she was not the best singer. Some of the notes were out of tune and there were times when she wouldn't count the beat correctly, but to the person listening from beyond the door, her voice was like a wonderful chime. Beast Boy had only ever heard one other member of the Titans sing, and quite frankly, he'd rather listen to Cyborg snoring all day than for Starfire to sing another one of her Tamaraean hymns or whatever they were. Nightingale, however, he could listen to for extended periods of time. The singing ended far too soon, and Beast Boy walked back to his room, deep in thought. Did the song mean something? Was it just a tune she liked? He'd have to ask her.

Unbeknownst to Beast Boy, the reason for her cut-off wasn't just because the song had ended. A very unwelcome figure had emerged from the shadows in her room. For the moment, fear kept Nightingale silent, until she addressed the masked man in a flat tone.

"Slade. Can't you visit me when I'm away from the tower? Having an older man appear in my room is kind of creepy."

By the time she had finished speaking her contemptuous voice had made an appearance. Her mask was on, however, so Slade couldn't read her expressions. Crossing her arms, she kept her distance and moved towards the door. She didn't think Slade would stir up a fight IN the tower, but if things took a bad turn she wanted a quick getaway. Slade himself hadn't moved from his position near the window, only turning his head ever so slightly to follow her movements.

"Yes, I'm sure your new boyfriend wouldn't approve of me being in here either, but let's avoid an unpleasant conversation with him, my dear."

Nightingale didn't feel like listening to him in the least. In the past month he'd tried to kill her twice, and she knew just how much he hated failure. She started reaching for the Titan's communicator on her belt, but stopped short when Slade spoke again.

"Now Quiver, why would you want to call people to help you who have been lying to you?"

Though he couldn't see, Nightingale looked at him as if he was crazy. Why would they lie to her? Though she had expressed disquiet over Robin's coddling of her, she didn't think any of the Titans would lie to her, particularly Beast Boy or Starfire.

"You're lying."

It was the only retort she could muster in the face of such a blatant attempt to plant mistrust in her head. He had to know that she had prepared for this kind of verbal persuasion from him. In fact, she almost couldn't believe that he had bothered showing up. Once again she reached for the button on her communicator that would summon her teammates in seconds.

"Don't you at least want to hear what I know before you summon your hosts?"

Nightingale couldn't help it this time: she laughed.

"I'll humor you Slade: what could you possibly know? That Beast Boy already had a girlfriend? That Raven is half-demon? Or is it something as obvious as the fact that Starfire is an alien?"

Her cockiness was rearing it's head as she beat Slade back with question after question, but what she did not expect was to hear him retort in that annoyingly calm way of his.

"Tell me Quiver; do you know where your father is right now?"

She could only stare at him, her mask hiding the confused expression that was making its way across her slightly tan features. What was he getting at? Of course she knew where her father was. He was in the room next door, probably sleeping at this time. Nightingale was not going to allow Slade the satisfaction of making her hesitate.

"He's next door. Why does it matter to you?"

Nightingale took an aggressive step forward as if daring him to say something she didn't like. However, the only reaction Slade cared to display was amusement in the form of a slight chuckle.

"Ah Quiver, you are so ferocious, and so blind to the deception of the Titans. Tell me, don't you wonder why it wasn't your father you first saw when you were sick? How about how you never seem to see him around the tower? Face it Quiver, you're only so quick to accuse me of lying because you are afraid that I am telling the truth. Don't you want to know if your little boyfriend is trustworthy?"

Now she did hesitate. Nightingale knew that this was how Slade worked, but each question he asked felt like an itch she just couldn't scratch. As much as she hated to admit it, Slade had a point. Why HADN'T her father come to see her? Didn't he love her? She blinked once to chase away her thoughts, only to find that the shadows where Slade was were empty. Nightingale cursed under her breath, and lifted her hand to her communicator to alert the Titans of Slade's presence, but something stopped her. Turning, the ebony Titan exited her room and went next door to the room where her father was staying and knocked. After a few seconds, she knocked again, louder this time. When no answer came, she started banging on it as hard as she could. Even then, her father didn't come to the door.

Now Nightingale was feeling panicked. However she walked silently to Beast Boy's room, not wanting to disturb any other Titans. For all her stealth though, she almost beat his door down when she got to it. A sleepy-eyed Beast Boy eventually answered, and he perked up upon seeing his new girlfriend.

"Nightingale? Do you need something?"

Nightingale immediately grabbed his hands.

"Beast Boy, please tell me that you have access to the room my father is staying in."

"Well ya, but we're not supposed to go into your dad's room unless it's an emergency."

"Consider this an emergency."

Not bothering to explain, Nightingale grabbed Beast Boy's arm and tore down the hallway with him all the way back to her father's room. Beast Boy didn't bother protesting; her sudden frantic behavior was putting him on edge. Hopefully everything would be all right. Regardless, Beast Boy quickly punched in the override code to Nightingale's father's room and stood back as she swept inside.

"Where is he?!"

Beast Boy flinched at her tone. Nightingale's voice had taken on a dark and angry quality.

"Hey, calm down Serena, we'll find Slade and bring your dad back, I promise."

To his surprise, his words seemed to have a negative affect on Nightingale instead of soothing her as he intended. Her head whipped around from where she was staring at the empty bed, and she aggressively walked towards him.

"Cut the act Beast Boy! You know very well that Slade didn't take my father. Apparently he's been gone since the day I got sick, if not sooner than that. Slade was right, you WERE lying to me!"

Her outburst left Beast Boy speechless, and his jaw had dropped further and further to the floor the more her voice raised. Had her mask not been on, Beast Boy would swear her eyes were red flames.

From Nightingale's perspective, it seemed like her accusations couldn't be met with a straight answer. Her eyes grew wide wide with horror, and then turned cold as he didn't answer for what she believed was a reasonable amount of time.

"Don't say a word, Beast Boy until you're ready to just give me the truth. I can't believe I let you kiss me."

With that, she pushed past him. She wanted no one to bother her while she thought, so before she went in her room, she punched the control pad as hard as she could, rendering it useless. The pad could be fixed, but it would take time. _Enough time to decide what to do hopefully_, Nightingale thought.

_**Ok, I don't like this chapter much _ However, I wanted to give you all, as readers, the chance to draw your own conclusions to what Nightingale will do =D I already have a plan in mind for what she is going to do, but it will be interesting to see what you all think :)**_


	16. Chapter 15

_**I do not own Teen Titans! Only my OC, Quiver/Serena/Nightingale belongs to me!**_

_**Chapter 15**_

"Raven? Starfire? Is something wrong?"

Robin had taken a tad bit long to answer the door. Raven and Starfire thought it was because he was either dozing, or was following a supposed new lead on Slade. The masked villain always made Robin a recluse when he returned to Jump City, and Starfire especially fussed over him as he became more withdrawn. This time around it was a little bit different as far as Raven could see. Normally Robin would be more uptight by now, but instead he looked somewhat content. Starfire picked up on it too, and Raven couldn't help but observe how in tune to emotions Starfire was. When the Puppet King had switched their souls into the wrong bodies, the two women had been forced to tell each other everything about themselves in order to control their powers. Starfire had explained multiple times about how, like Raven's powers, hers were controlled by emotion. Raven had figured that Starfire was entirely at ease with her emotions, but never thought that being so adept at reading them would transfer to other members of the team.

"Robin, you look quite satisfied. Tell me, have you found a lead on Slade?"

He smirked in that mischievous way of his, and Raven could swear that Starfire looked ready to swoon as she stared at him with adoring emerald eyes.

"Actually yes. I can't believe I didn't find it before, but one of Serena's neighbors gave an interview to the police. According to him, an army of gangly-looking robots attacked and burned the house."

Raven blinked once and let a skeptical tone creep into her voice.

"So what does that have to do with his reappearance in Jump?"

The Boy Wonder quirked an eyebrow and looked at her.

"The interview has nothing to do with his reappearance at all; it just proves that Serena was telling the truth."

Raven could tell that Starfire was getting puzzled as well. If he didn't trust Nightingale, why did he let her on the team?

"Robin, I'm not saying that I would trust Nightingale with our security codes yet, or with our lives, but isn't Slade our real enemy here?"

"Of course, but Nightingale is still a piece of the puzzle. After what happened with Terra I don't want to take any chances. She almost killed you guys, and Nightingale is more dangerous than she is."

Starfire looked at Robin sternly.

"You cannot judge her based on Terra's actions! They are not even related!"

Robin looked slightly cowed by Starfire's passionate words, but he quickly recovered.

"I just don't want anything to happen to you Star… You or the team. If any of you get hurt when there was something I could do, I'd never forgive myself."

It was in this rare moment of vulnerability that Raven chose to speak up.

"We know the risks, Robin. However lying to Nightingale when she's already unhappy could just push her right back to Slade. Is that what you want?"

This sent the wheels turning in Robin's head, and Raven could tell. The Boy Wonder finally gave a defeated sigh.

"Ok, let's go get this mess straightened out with Nightingale then."

_***Scene break***_

Shadows crept up the walls of Nightingale's room. A soft breeze was flowing through her open window, and she didn't stir. Heavy thoughts had been weighing her down lately, until Nightingale had silenced her blackened mind. She couldn't get over how the team had lied to her. What were they afraid of her doing? Leaving? She supposed that the concern was well founded, but they had no right to keep such sensitive information from her, especially when it involved her family. The ebony Titan tossed and turned, before waking up restlessly. Her mask was on her bedside table; there was no hope of seeing anything in the room.

Nightingale didn't mind that. She didn't fear the darkness itself; only what could be hiding in it. Slade had been haunting her footsteps for over a week now, but strangely, his most recent visit didn't have her on edge. In fact, now she felt conflicted on whom she could trust. Slade had killed her family- she would never forgive that- but he hadn't bothered lying to her about most things. The Titans meant well and seemed like they wanted to help her, but they lied to her about her father; the only family she had left. Thinking about the Titans brought thoughts of Beast Boy to her. Rage bubbled up inside of her. How could he keep something so important from her? Didn't he care? _I was a fool to think that anyone would actually care that much._ The vicious thought cut deep into her heart, and she got out of bed to walk to the window.

Nightingale had a perfect view of downtown Jump City. The ocean licked at the beaches and the moon brightened the surface until it glowed eerily. City sounds faintly reached her ears, and she rested her head on her hands. Compared to the calm bay, Nightingale felt like she was a hurricane. Old and new thoughts spun continuously in her brain, and now she was faced by a new dilemma. How was she going to handle being lied to? She would never go back to Slade… would she? If she did, she would lose the trust of the Titans forever, and though she was still furious, she would feel her heart break a second time if she lost anyone else to Slade's manipulating nature. _Especially Beast Boy; all he ever wanted to do was help…_ He had done nothing but help Nightingale, and she had thrown it back in his face.

He was mad at her now; he had to be. Who could ever like someone with so much rage inside of her? Nightingale stared forlornly at the bustling city. The familiar alleyways and streets seemed so far away now compared to the constricting walls of the tower. Somehow she had to get away and think things out. The break in security could only last so long, and she expected the damage to be repaired by Cyborg soon.

With this thought in mind, she gathered her tools and equipment, including quite a few gadgets Robin had lent her to increase her offensive and defensive capabilities. It took Nightingale a mere minute to land gently on the ground of the tower. Now was the question of how she would get to the main land. The Titans had not given her the codes for the tower yet (Nightingale figured Robin still didn't trust her yet) so "borrowing" the T-car or R-cycle was out of the question. As she came around to the west side of the tower, Nightingale was surprised to see a speedboat secured to a rock. She wanted to hope it was some sort of curious citizen or well-wisher, but she couldn't deny the forethought of Slade when she saw a big, jagged 'S' painted on the side of it. Slade wanted her to leave the tower. He knew she was going to; he was just that good. Nightingale knew she was leaving without back up, but the presence of the communicator on her belt gave her a small bit of reassurance. She was mad at them, but they didn't know it yet. She could still call and they'd be there with her within minutes. Keeping this thought in mind, she leapt into the boat and started it up, the noise at first making her cringe, but calming her as she sped towards Jump City.

_***Scene Break***_

Raven first sensed the shock, and then the anger of Beast Boy as he whipped around the corner towards his three teammates. She didn't need to be an empath to sense what was wrong with Beats Boy; it was Nightingale. It had been a while since Raven had seen her green teammate so angry. His anger had been unheard of since Terra.

"Robin, where is Serena's dad?! She wanted to check on him so I let her in the room and he was gone! No note, and no trace of him. I have never seen Serena so angry before. Worst of all, she thought I knew something about it! Do you have any idea what-"

Beast Boy took a quick breath as he cut himself off, shooting a wary glance at his teammates. Starfire looked genuinely concerned, while Robin had a poker face on that Batman would have been proud of. As for Raven, she never displayed her emotions. However, she felt a dark sense of foreboding sweep over her. If Nightingale knew her father was gone and immediately thought the team had known, she had to be upset. Being upset caused people to make mistakes. With Slade on the loose, none of the Titans could afford to make mistakes.

Reaching out with her senses, Raven tried to get a feel for Nightingale. What she got was a strong wave of anger, hesitation, and regret. Instantly Raven was put on alert; all those negative feelings could easily drive Nightingale to do something stupid. Looking over at Starfire, Raven could see that the Tamaranean princess knew she had felt something, for Starfire had a look of curious concern on her face. The boys, however, were oblivious to Raven's realization.

"You think I wanted to lie to her, Beast Boy? I didn't know how she would react. She might have tried to leave before we could catch Slade."

"That would have been her decision to make! Now that she knows her dad is gone, she could leave without us knowing! For all we know, she could go back to Slade… Nightingale was already considering leaving, Robin."

At this, the caped hero stopped. Before he could formulate a response, however, Raven cut in.

"We need to get to Nightingale's room right now. With how upset she is, she may try to do something drastic. Both of you need to talk to her."

Neither of the teens needed to questions Raven's words; she could sense emotions better than anyone on the team. With this though in mind, all four Titans made their way to Nightingale's room. The sight that greeted them was not welcome. The control pad was pounded in the middle where Nightingale's fist had connected earlier. Beast Boy's face turned into an expression of pure dismay at the sight of the busted device. No noise came from inside of her room; and the Titans were so quiet that a pin dropping would echo throughout the hallway. Robin knocked on the door with authority.

"Nightingale, open up, we need to talk. I know you're angry, but only Raven, Cyborg, and I knew that your father was gone."

No answer was given, and Robin knocked again, to no avail. The three other teens could tell he was growing alarmed, particularly when he turned to his violet-haired teammate.

"Raven, open the door. I want to know why she isn't answering."

Within seconds of his order, the dark-clad sorceress had surrounded the door with her energy and was sliding it open. The empty room that greeted them was an unwelcome omen. Her bed was made; her newest purchase (an ornate picture frame) was still there, but her closet was devoid of her civilian clothes. Starfire's face had grown dark with worry, and Beast Boy spun on Robin, furious.

"You see! She's gone because you didn't tell her the truth! What if Slade is still looking for her? He's already tried to kill her twice! "

Robin's face hadn't changed, but he had a scowl now, whether it was from worry or anger, no one could say. Regardless, he pulled out his communicator.

"Nightingale, where are you? Come back to the tower and let me explain the situation to you. It's not safe for you to be out alone while Slade is looking for you."

No one expected a response, but was surprised as Nightingale's familiar voice came through his communicator.

"You should have thought of that before lying to me about my father. "

With that, the link was cut. Beast Boy looked out the window.

"I'm going after her. I don't care if any of you want to help or not, but she shouldn't be alone right now."

Raven quirked an eyebrow at Beast Boy's declaration.

"Not to discourage your white knight act, but it sounds like she would rather be left alone right now. Nightingale's a big girl; she can take care of herself."

Without another word, Beast Boy opened the window and leapt, turning into a hawk and flying towards the city. It was this action that finally caused Robin to speak.

"I understand where you're coming from, Raven, but Slade is not a common criminal. Titans, spread out and search the city."

Whipping out his communicator, he also brought Cyborg up to speed. Within minutes, all of the Titans had left the tower to search for their ebony-clad runaway. What they didn't see was the half-masked man that slipped in the front door as they departed…

_***Scene Break***_

The boat ride to the shore of Jump seemed to last an eternity for Nightingale. Mask over her face, the first thing she did was find an alley where she could tuck her uniform into her bag and stroll around in her civilian outfit. Nightingale was never one for make-up (who had the time when you were a criminal?), but this once she decided to purchase some cosmetics, as well as a red wig to hide her brown hair. The last thing she wanted was any of the Titans finding her. As she was changing though, her communicator went off.

"Nightingale, where are you? Come back to the tower and let me explain the situation to you. It's not safe for you to be out alone while Slade is looking for you."

A sneer came to Serena's lips and her eyes grew alight with a cold fury as she looked at her communicator. For a moment she pondered hanging up, but decided to let the Titans know just how much wrong they had done to her.

"You should have thought of that before lying to me about my father."

And with that slap in the face, she cut the link and pocketed the device in her plaid ankle jeans. Combing her brown hair up into a bun, she secured it with a hair net before putting the red wig on. It took her a few minutes to get it combed down and looking natural, but she was pleased with the result. Next came make-up. Shades of brown adorned her eyelids and she finished up with a tan lipstick that brought out her green eyes further. The end picture was actually really impressive to her, and with her costume in tow (after all, she wasn't going to ditch her gear), she made her way into the downtown of Jump City. There looked to be a party going on at some random house, and Serena couldn't help but get curious. What would it be like to be a normal teenager? With her only concerns being boys and the next biology test?

A longing to do something normal sprung up inside of Nightingale, and she found herself being carried to the party at a slow jog by her feet. Teenagers around her age were drinking what Serena thought was beer, and others were talking outside of the house. Inside the house, the music pounded so loud that the vibrations could be felt the second Serena stepped into the house. In every room people were dancing. In a couple rooms, young couples were making out on the couch. _A typical teenage party? Where are the parents who live here? How haven't they gotten busted for noise complaints?_ Serena was so engrossed by her thoughts that she didn't notice the hand creeping towards her shoulder.

Electricity raced through her as the hand touched her, and she flipped the culprit over in response, crashing them through a nearby coffee table. Shocked, party goers stopped and stared. Serena's eyes went wide and she stared around, embarrassed, before mustering up her shreds of dignity.

"Um, he scared me, that's all."

She gave an apologetic smile to the crowd, and let them go about their business before leaning over the person she had flipped. He had messy black hair, and was looking up at her with clear blue eyes. However, instead of looking angry, he looked… amused. Impressed even. _Typical boys…_ When Serena had been working for Slade, lots of boys would ask if she needed to be walked home as if she couldn't protect herself. She couldn't stand people thinking she was hopeless. However, it was nice to have her abilities recognized.

"Hey… um, sorry about that. You just frightened me. You aren't hurt, are you?

"Not at all, Cupcake. Do you mind helping me up?"

That tone and that nickname sent a wave of déjà vu sweeping over her. However the thought of familiarity soon left Serena, and instead she offered him her hand. The mystery man took it gratefully, and before she knew it, he was leading her out into the backyard. Serena let him lead her; she didn't find him to be dangerous; in fact she was rather curious about whom this guy was. The "Cupcake" name had thrown her for a loop.

"So… uh, you been to any banks lately?"

Immediately after she asked him, she felt stupid, which only worsened when he gave her an amused and puzzled grin.

"Banks?"

Anxiety growing, Serena tried to play off the question.

"Well ya. I just feel like I've seen you around before. At a bank. Or something."

The guy laughed, and once again, Serena was struck with that nagging sense of déjà vu.

"You're pretty funny. What's your name?"

"Um, it's Serena."

"Nice to meet you, Serena. My name is Jason."

_**And our mystery man has been revealed! I am so sorry for not updating ladies and gents ;-; I got into an old xbox community of mine and it's been keeping me busy. I promise that updates will come as I write them. Don't be mad!**_


	17. Chapter 16

_**I do not own Teen Titans! Only my OC, Quiver/Serena/Nightingale belongs to me!**_

_**Chapter 16**_

Beast Boy couldn't believe how willing his teammates were to let Serena stay out on her own. Even Raven seemed passive to her sudden disappearance. She was a Titan now; another family member for the team to bring in. Even if she had been working for Slade, she had stopped now and seemed fully committed to taking Slade down. Why couldn't they trust Serena? Sure she hated being constricted by orders, and found being escorted unnecessary, but Beast Boy was confident that she would adjust. Well, assuming she would come back to the tower.

This thought brought a fresh wave of hurt washing over him as he recalled that Serena had regretted their kiss on the top of Titan's Tower. Had she actually meant that? Did her words mean their short relationship was already over? Beast Boy just HAD to find her. Both to find out the truth behind what she had said, and to make sure she didn't get hurt. If Slade did to Serena what he did to Terra, Beast Boy would never forgive himself for not keeping her safe. However keeping Serena away from harm was hard when she could so easily disappear. Beast Boy had known that she had taken her street clothes, but he didn't expect her to be so good at going off of the radar.

The first place he checked was the spire. Serena always seemed to end up here one way or another, but on this particular night there was no sign on her. Landing in the place where the pair had spent the night just yesterday, Beast Boy couldn't help but feel a small ache from her harsh words earlier. With his thoughts on Serena, he almost missed his communicator going off. Hope lit up in his chest that it was Serena calling, but it was only Raven.

"Any sign of her, Beast Boy?"

The green changeling sighed with worry.

"No; she's not on top of the spire, and with her communicator off we can't track her. Have you tried making psychic contact, Rae?"

"It's Raven, Beast Boy. As I a matter of fact I have. All I'm getting is the feeling of curiosity, and wariness as well. There's also a consistent feel of music."

Music? A party or concert then? Thanking Raven for this clue, he brought Robin up to speed on the situation.

"A concert huh? I'll search for what concerts are going on in Jump City; Beast Boy I want you, Starfire, Cyborg, and Raven searching for parties. We'll find her, Beast Boy. I promise."

Though Beast Boy had blamed Robin for Serena's departure in the first place, he was grateful for the amount of effort his leader was putting into finding her. Turning back into a hawk, Beast Boy leapt off of the spire and flew into the night.

_***Scene Break***_

Serena was surprised to feel so comfortable in Jason's presence so soon. The party was still in full swing, and getting wildly loud each time someone new showed up. Mercifully, Jason hadn't suggested going inside; Serena was starting to get a headache from how loud the music was. Instead, the two were just walking around the perimeter of the house talking. A few times Serena would catch some girls giving her a glare, or staring at Jason adoringly. To his credit, Jason didn't seem to notice the goo goo eyes that followed his every move. Serena could admire his physique though. He was obviously an athlete; the kind with great abs and arms that would make most girls swoon.

As for Serena, however, she didn't feel impressed. She could probably take this guy down in a heartbeat if she wanted to. However she didn't want to draw any more attention to herself. Pretty much half of the party had seen her flip Jason already, so they probably all thought she was a freak. In a way, she supposed she was abnormal. After all, no normal teenagers could see as great distances as she did, nor could they heal wounds like she could. Just this once, Serena wanted to just be herself. Tonight she didn't want to be Nightingale. She didn't want to think about the Teen Titans, or about Slade. All she wanted to do was let loose and be, well, normal.

"So, what brought you here tonight, Serena?"

Jason's voice pulled her from her immediate dilemmas. Turning her head towards him, she met eyes that were full of an arrogant confidence, and at the same time were curious. She was a mystery to him; a puzzle he wanted to solve.

"Oh you know… every once in a while a girl just wants to have a little fun. Just one night to forget her troubles and be free."

How ironic it was for her to feel caged. With the Titans, she had had more freedom than she ever did with Slade. Yet she still felt trapped; like a pet dog enclosed by a backyard fence. Jason took all of this in without blinking, only studying her before taking her hand and leading her away from the party.

"Um, where are we going? Shouldn't we mingle with the other guests or something?"

"You want to be free? I'll show you how to get freedom and a lot more."

At this, Serena grew wary, particularly when their trail led to an old apartment on the edge of town. The buildings looked run down, and the many alleyways felt darker than those closest to Titan's Tower. Jason led her to the door and whipped out a key to let himself in. The second the pair stepped through the door, Serena gasped in surprise. Despite the rough exterior, inside was adorned with expensive items. Leather furniture, a huge plasma TV, granite kitchen counters and a sink to match, and what looked to be art from famous artists. The carpets were black and plush, and Serena removed her shoes to keep the carpet in pristine condition. The walls were a cheery red color that matched the kitchen and the floors. All through this, Jason watched her with an amused smirk, looking pleased that Serena was so awed.

"Not bad for a rundown apartment, is it?"

Serena turned to face him, the surprise and admiration for his home evident in her sage eyes.

"It's awesome! Where did you get all of the money for this stuff?"

Despite her initial surprise, the detective in Serena finally took over. This was a shady neighborhood, and having all of these valuables seemed foolish, as well as unlikely for anyone her age. Even the Titans were modest with their furnishings, despite being supported by the city in exchange for their work to protect Jump. Again he gave her that winning smirk.

"You know, for a Titan you're a little slow, Serena. Or should I say, Nightingale?"

Feeling her jaw drop, she immediately whipped into defensive mode.

"So I was right about you, Jason. Or should I say, Red X?"

For a moment she thought she had caught him off guard, until she saw him laugh in amusement.

"I knew I was right about you, Cupcake. Smart as old Professor Chang, and a whole lot prettier too. You said you wanted to be free? Well why don't you join me on a heist? Nothing more free than taking what you want in whatever manner you please. After all, Cupcake, there are no rules to being a thief. You just need to be good at it."

Serena snorted disgust, but she had to admit that the thought WAS tempting. She had already been a thief for Slade, and she knew the ropes to a successful heist, but now she needed to go straight and narrow.

But did it even matter anymore? It was clear that the Titans didn't trust her. After all, what kind of team would keep a secret from their newest member? Were they afraid she would have run away? X could see the gears in her head turning, and he leaned against the front door, a pleased look on his face. However, a thought caught Serena's attention.

"Wait a minute, I stole your belt. You have nothing to do a heist with."

This earned her a light chuckle.

"Cupcake, that's the point. The heist is to get my belt back. And where is it, you may ask?"

He took a dramatic pause.

"The evidence room in Titan's Tower."

At the mention of the location, Serena's eyes went wide. He was asking her to steal. Not just steal from anyone, but the Teen Titans specifically. The same people whom, despite their mistrust of her, had taken her in and kept her safe from Slade. They had offered her a home in their tower, and were openly supportive of her struggles. Sure they had lied to her, but surely it was a small thing in exchange for their hospitality, right?

However the more she thought of that lie, the more irate she grew. Sure it was petty to get worked up over something so small, but it wasn't small to her. To Serena, that lie created a chasm between her and the Titans. One way or another it would fill, for better or worse. A sardonic smirk appeared on her face.

"Alright, X, I'll take you up on that offer. One heist."

Serena was rewarded with a surprised look from X. It was clear that he had expected a no, however he quickly recovered his self-assured façade.

"Good choice, Cupcake. I promise that you'll feel a rush of freedom after this. Heck, if stealing isn't freedom, I don't know what is. Get your gear ready. I already know how to get to the Tower from here."

Nodding in affirmation, she gathered up her duffle bag and headed for the bathroom to put her uniform back on, however before closing the door, she tossed him a reply.

"Oh, and X? Any hint that you plan on stealing anything else, one hair on the back of my neck goes up, and I will bring you down. Are we in agreement? And the name is Nightingale."

Somehow she managed to sound sweet and menacing at the same time, which made X raise an eyebrow.

"Whatever you say, Nightingale."

Within minutes, Serena was suited up in her Nightingale outfit. It didn't take long at all for the pair to be out on the road and heading towards Titan's Tower. X had "acquired" a new motorcycle that was sitting outside a neighboring house, and the pair was speeding towards their destination. Over the roar of the bike, X managed to start up a conversation.

"So Nightingale, where did you come from? You seemed to pop up out of no where one day."

The masked villain felt her stiffen, and Serena's thoughts raced. Should she tell him about Slade? Would that matter to him?

"There are some things that are better left unsaid, Jason…"

"Oooo, a mystery. I like my girls to come with a mysterious past."

Beneath her mask, Nightingale rolled her eyes. As if she needed a criminal hitting on her. She was already with Beast Boy. Or was she really? From the beginning, Nightingale was worried that their relationship might put him in danger from Slade. Would it be better to just be friends? She hadn't acknowledged it until now, but what she had said to Beast Boy hurt her as much as she had hurt him. But perhaps getting swept up in a different relationship would be better. X could obviously protect himself, and though he was a criminal, he was still quite handsome…

X had expected some sort of biting retort from the fiery girl wrapped around his waist, so this silence was a new puzzle that she had provided. It didn't matter now, he supposed. They had plenty of time to get comfortable on the way to Titan's Tower.

_***Scene Break***_

The first party that Beast Boy happened upon was in full swing. He could probably call the police and bust half of the party for underage drinking, but he had bigger things to worry about than a bunch of rowdy teenagers. Inside the house, it was even more crowded than outside. One of the many groups inside was talking about a broken coffee table.

"-and she just flipped him right onto it! Broke the table in half. I've never seen a girl so hot before!"

Now Beast Boy had seen a lot of girls over the time of being a Titan, but ones that looked capable of flipping a guy over and breaking a table? He had only met three, and two of them were accounted for. Walking over to the group, he tried to present an air of authority.

"Excuse me, but what girl are you talking about?"

The group looked Beast Boy over; everyone knew the Titans, but no one knew why he'd be so interested in just an ordinary girl. Nevertheless, they were all smart enough to realize that he could bust up the party at any time.

"No one special, except for her freakish strength. Red hair, and green eyes. She was hanging out with Jason earlier. Oh, and she had a big duffle bag she was carrying around. Didn't look like she'd ever let go of it."

The red hair didn't match up, but a duffel bag? Green eyes? Freakish (in the eyes of a normal teen) strength? It had to be Serena! Who was Jason though, and why had she come to the party?

"Any idea where she went?"

"A couple of my buddies said she and Jason left the party. They were headed towards the other side of town. I think Jason has a pad out there or something. A nice one too for that side of town from what I hear."

"Thank you for your cooperation."

Without another word, Best Boy turned and left, bringing this latest revelation to the rest of the team.

"Good work, Beast Boy. Titans, fan out across the city and see if you can spot her. I'll go back to the Tower and see if I can track Nightingale that way."

With orders given, all of the Titans broke off their searches and merged towards the other side of town, except for Robin, who would soon get the surprise of his life back at Titan's Tower.

_***Scene Break***_

The waves berating the shore of Jump seemed a lot more unfriendly to Nightingale than ever before. Perhaps the waves understood that she was aiding a criminal to break into Titan's Tower, and wanted to make their feelings known to her. The thought made guilt creep up on her, but she squelched it down by thinking of how the Titans had lied to her. Red X was busy looking across the water to the tower.

"Well Cupcake, I don't suppose you can fly over there, can you?"

Nightingale snorted in amusement despite the tense feelings she was having.

"I may be named after a bird, but that doesn't mean I have wings. Besides, I have a boat."

She led the now silent Red X to where she had stashed Slade's boat and the pair hopped onto it. X stopped at the sight of the sharpened 'S' on the boat.  
"Hey, Nightingale… you know who this boat belongs to, right?"

Nightingale sighed; she knew this line of questioning would have come from him soon enough.

"Yes I do, X. And before you ask me if I know who Slade is, let me just say that I know him better than most of the Titans do. "

For a second, he stayed quiet.

"You aren't his daughter or anything, are you?"

Shock kept Nightingale silent for a minute, until she croaked out a question.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, you both always seem to have some sort of secret way to enter or escape a place. And, well… you kind of look like him."

"What do you mean that I 'look like him?' Have you seen Slade's face?"

Red X looked at her for a second.

"Ya; when he was doing business with me. Why, do you know him?"

"Tell me what he looks like and I'll be able to tell you."

Red X ran over a hasty description.

Nightingale had to push back a scream of shock and anger as she realized whom he was referring too.

_**Uh oh, who could Slade possibly be :O? I've had this twist in mind for a while now, but you don't get to know who it is till next chapter D predictions, ladies and gents? As usual, cookies to the people who R&R my work :3**_


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